Google Apps Engine Gets SQL

oker writes "Google has finally added SQL to its cloud platform offering, Apps Engine. Until now, developers had to use the Datastore service, which provides a vendor lock-in threat and isn't supported by most existing software and libraries. The SQL service should definitely improve Apps Engine adoption. It is currently in limited preview mode."

Comments

Why Google Apps Engine over Amazon or Azure?

[tech4]

Before Google Apps Engine had an edge with its free plans, but why would anyone seriously use it now when there are much more capable Amazon cloud and Microsoft Azure available? Those two are also Apple's choice for their iCloud, while Google's services are missing from that list.

There's practically nothing that Google offers that others don't (except for the price before), and they're still missing huge amount of stuff that their competitors offer, like htis addition of SQL just now tells. For example, Azure integrates beautifully with Visual Studio, Eclipse and other development tools so that platform is just great to develop with. Amazon on the other hand offers different services for different needs - you get the file hosting platform that scales extremely well, and then there's the traditional platform with databases, ability to run code and so on.. There's just nothing that Google Apps Engine offers, while still missing a lot what competitors cloud services have.

Re:Why Google Apps Engine over Amazon or Azure?

[BitZtream]

Yea, its really screwing people over when you start charging them for shit that you told them we're going to give away free for a while, then when we think its production ready we're going to charge for it ...

This is standard business practice for pretty much ANY business, if you didn't see this coming, you aren't qualified to make a statement about it because you simple don't know anything about running a business.

Also in the agreement that stated the price changes in the future was the part that said you'd have notice and given X amount of time when a service was going to be discontinued. If I recall correctly, the amount of time was 2 years, its not like they're just going to drop you into nothingness.

Re:Why Google Apps Engine over Amazon or Azure?

[somersault]

Could you guys give the Google hating circlejerk a rest for a while? I know you're getting paid for it obviously, but it's getting kind of boring. Couldn't you find a job that doesn't involve trying to brainwash people?

Some of us value the integrity that Google has displayed over what Microsoft does. I view Amazon in the same light as Google. I'd be happy to use either of their services.

What products has Google discontinued recently? I remember they discontinued some really unpopular ones a good few years ago, and then they got rid of Wave recently.

*googles to check what happened to Wave*

Google Wave is no longer being developed as a standalone product
You can still log in, edit and export your waves, and wave.google.com will remain in service until there is another way to access your data.

Those bastards! I see why you hate them now! Oh wait, no I don't..

Re:Why Google Apps Engine over Amazon or Azure?

[somersault]

PS MS are hardly known for keeping services going indefinitely. Even when that means essentially a whole bunch of devices. You shills use some pretty bizarre arguments..

From what I've seen, if Google discontinue something, it's because 1) nobody is using it, or 2) they're consolidating the functionality into another product.

Re:Why Google Apps Engine over Amazon or Azure?

[dolmant_php]

I disagree that app engine offers nothing more than the other services. The offerings are different types of services. As proof: app engine comes with the following basic services: blobstore, memcache, database, auto-scaling. Amazon web services has options for all of these, yes, but they are all separate services: S3 (blobstore), memcache (elasticache), simple db (database), auto-scaling (cloud watch). In AWS, I have to configure all of these systems independently of the others, and pay for them, too. I have to worry about upgrades, operating systems, etc. In google app engine, all of this is bundled in already. AWS does have all of the functionality, but it requires lots more setup. After all is said and done, GAE is actually priced very competitively, and even cheaper than, its competitors.

Re:Why Google Apps Engine over Amazon or Azure?

[dotancohen]

Before Google Apps Engine had an edge with its free plans, but why would anyone seriously use it now when there are much more capable Amazon cloud and Microsoft Azure available?

The Amazon cloud offerings win on more than just specs. I have a Paypal credit card, but I don't live in the US. Thus, getting the physical plastic card to me is a hassle as I have to route it through someone in the US. That means that I've now been without my card for two months, and my Amazon bill has gone unpaid. When I got the "we're going to shut you down if you don't pay" letter, I wrote back explaining the situation and asked that they defer my payment until November with interest.

How did Amazon handle that? They didn't defer my payment: they waived it outright! Granted that I've been a customer since almost the beginning and these charges were for under a dollar at my current usage level, however, what other company would go that far? Amazon has won itself a customer for life and I'm more than happy to spread the goodwill that they've demonstrated.

Would Microsoft waive two months payment? Would Google? At their own initiative, after the customer asked only for deferment?

Actually SQL?

[drx]

The blogpost mentions a "familiar MySQL environment" ... that's not much SQL.

Re:Now add PHP.

[shutdown -p now]

Google banned the mental plague that is PHP from their "cloud"? That's awesome, I see that they're really keen on that "do no evil" thing.