MySQL 8.0 Release Candidate includes numerous enhancements making MySQL better for modern applications. The theme of this release is “making MySQL better for modern apps”:
- A modern application is mobile first. Mobile-first is not just a theme applied to an existing app, it is about using context about the user (such as their location) and reducing the clicks required for a transaction.
- Unicode (or more specifically UTF-8 encoding) has become universal even in English speaking markets. To support modern applications, it is important to have first-class support for UTF-8 out of the box.
- Modern applications are developed with a premium on time-to-market. You want to be able to respond fast to the directions the market takes you. It is important to have flexibility, and a large part of this story is schemaless JSON support.