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2.1.2.2. Choosing a Distribution Format

After choosing which version of MySQL to install, you should decide whether to use a binary distribution or a source distribution. In most cases, you should probably use a binary distribution, if one exists for your platform. Binary distributions are available in native format for many platforms, such as RPM packages for Linux, DMG packages for Mac OS X, and PKG packages for Solaris. Distributions are also available in more generic formats such as Zip archives or compressed tar files.

Reasons to choose a binary distribution include the following:

Under some circumstances, you may be better off installing MySQL from a source distribution: