Amarok 2.0 uses MySQL

I’ve always been more of a GNOME guy, and when running Linux, I use Rhythmbox to play my music. However, Amarok 2.0 might just change that.

They’ve chosen their database – it is none other than MySQL. The release notes state:

Some features, such as the player window or support for databases other than MySQL, have been removed because either they posed insurmountable programming problems, or they didn’t fit our design decisions about how to distinguish Amarok in a saturated market of music players.

If you want to know why the decision was made, read MySQL in Amarok 2 – The Reality. It has a lot to do with the fact that MySQL can be embedded, and performs well. Its a generally useful read to see why SQLite and PostgreSQL was not chosen.

MySQL… powering the music of today!
(wonder as I may, if we will ever get any Enterprise customers, who make heavy use of Amarok over many computers, etc… – I’m thinking modern night clubs, lounges, et al)

5 Comments

  1. Xaprb says:

    That’s great. I was just wondering today what Rhythmbox uses. When I connect to my streaming music server with it, it gets unresponsive for about a minute, and it’s really pretty slow to sort/search/whatever the list of songs. I’m pretty sure I can blame this on its internal code, since I also have a Roku soundbridge device that gets the list of songs from the server in a second or two and has no trouble sorting, searching etc.

    I bet it’s a bunch of linked lists and not a proper database ;-) But I haven’t even peeked at the code.

  2. Mike says:

    Decide on music player based on the backend database?
    Don’t make sense at all. Amarok is way better than Rhythmbox and
    MySQL has nothing to do with it.

    • byte says:

      Considering I work on/at MySQL, it only makes sense for one to be excited that its being used in a regular desktop application that lots of people use. Happy using AmaroK :)

  3. […] MySQL as a default server, for storing PIM data. Just a few months ago, I mentioned the news that Amarok 2 will also use MySQL as a default […]

  4. Poke says:

    MySQL is the main reason I have chosen Amarok in the past. My collection is way too big for anything else. The old default database in Amarok was so slow it was unusable. Now that they have it built in and I don’t have to configure it by hand is the clincher. I am recommending Amarok to everyone. MySQL as default makes this a killer app.


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