On The Margins

Wednesday August 19, 2009

[ Technology ] Advancing MySQL Open Development One Important Step Forward

Giuseppe Maxia writes about the availability of the active development/test ("pushbuild") MySQL binaries for users—on multiple platforms.

This is a wonderful step forward in bringing greater openness to current MySQL development and in bringing greater value to the MySQL user community!  

2009-08-19 00:27:17.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
binaries current databases mysql pushbuild technology tests

Monday August 10, 2009

[ Announcements ] ADO.Net Entity Framework on MySQL

Reggie Burnett, the lead behind MySQL Connector/NET, will be presenting a MySQL webinar, "For ISVs: ADO.NET Entity Framework for MySQL", tomorrow at 10 Pacific Time!

Among other topics, Reggie will discuss how to

• Develop your application against SQL Server and then switch it to MySQL with zero code changes

• Optimize your database schema without requiring any code changes in your application

• Use LinQ syntax for type safety in your applications

(Interest in using MySQL on Windows is growing. The 2008 MySQL OEM Annual Survey, which closed in March 2009, shows that some 73% of MySQL OEM customers develop applications on Windows, and some 59% deploy these applications on Windows.)

If you're interested in Windows programming with MyQL, do not miss Reggie's other upcoming webinar for Sept. 15: "For ISVs: What's New in MySQL Connector/NET 6.1".

2009-08-10 14:23:37.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
.net connectors databases microsoft mysql programming software technology web windows

Thursday July 30, 2009

[ Announcements ] Workbench 5.2 Alpha

In case you have not already noticed, Workbench 5.2 alpha / preview release of MySQL's premier development and design tool, has been announced.

For an independent preview, you can also see here. 

2009-07-30 10:44:29.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
databases design development mysql workbench

Wednesday June 24, 2009

[ Code ] Contributing to MySQL

If interested in contributing code to MySQL, you should attend the MySQL University session on contributing code to MySQL.

(Live broadcast with Q&A will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2009. You can still have access to rebroadcasts afterwards.)

2009-06-24 01:57:05.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
code community contribution databases mysql

Thursday June 04, 2009

[ Persian (فارسی) ] Network Management Data Reduction and Smoothing -- A MySQL Webinar

ScienceLogic embeds MySQL in its EM7 network management appliances. An installation of EM7 can perform over half a billion database queries daily, storing massive amounts of data for both real-time and trended performance reporting.

Michael McFadden, senior software architect with ScienceLogic, will discuss all this in an upcoming MySQL webinar.

2009-06-04 15:57:24.0 -- Comments [1] ; Permalink ; Trackback.
analysis data databases learning management mysql networks software

Tuesday May 19, 2009

[ Announcements ] Webinar on the New MySQL Connector/C++

Tomorrow (Wednesday, May 20, 2009), Ulf Wendel and Andrey Hristov, engineers working in the Connector team of Sun|MySQL database group, will be presenting a webinar about the new MySQL Connector/C++. This connector, which uses much the JDBC API patterns, was recently made available as a GA release during the MySQL Conference and Expo.

Register from anywhere in the world and listen to Ulf and Andrey as they talk to you about Connector/C++ from somewhere in Germany!

Addendum: At this very moment, I'm attending this free Webinar. It is truly amazing how well-coordinated this is. So, if you couldn't get to this, try to make it to some other upcoming MySQL Webinar.

2009-05-19 12:39:43.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
connectors databases developers mysql open-source webinars

Sunday May 10, 2009

[ Business ] Sun Contributor Agreement and MySQL

On my last count, there are now 20+ Sun Contributor Agreement (SCA) signatories whose names appear on the master list and who are interested in contributing to MySQL. Only this week, three new members signed the SCA.

These 22+ signatories have all been added since mid-February when we launched the new, Sun-compliant SCA signing process. Before the end of 2009, if we proceed at this same rate, MySQL SCA signatories list should grow to about 70 to 90 contributors.

In the meantime, contributions from many of these contributors have already been accepted and integrated. (I had earlier pointed to Armin Schöffmann's contribution as a simple example of how all this works.)

Some people continue to wonder why an SCA is required.

First of all, it is important to note that by signing the SCA the contributor retains copyrights while also granting those rights to Sun as the project sponsor. This granting is very specific to a particular code base and the community around it. (This is a code base that has been available under GPL.)

Second, as I have summarized, in a series of Golden Rules for Open Source Contribution-Based Communities, several important rules for such communities help it to operate well. As part of rule G, "Setting Expectations," I did mention how

2. Anticipating the future and related risk management helps all market participants to reduce transaction costs.

However, I failed to add that an important ingredient in that risk management is the management of ownership claims.

I believe this particular aspect of rule G, which is implicit there, and which perhaps needs to be made more explicit, explains clearly why something like an SCA is required in order to maintain a flow of contributions to MySQL in a form that allows clear code ownership. 

Note that other open-source communities, such as the Apache Software Foundation, also require their own contributor agreement. Often, these agreements are there to protect the maintainers of the project/product or the general integrity of the products' ownership.

BSD-based communities seem to avoid this need by posting various clear signs in various places -- in their member-initiation or commit e-mails -- that all contributions are made under BSD. However, these communities have remained somewhat fragmented due to the greater openness of BSD licenses. Don't get me wrong. I love BSD. Note that often, BSD contriutors would rather contribute to a BSD project. The whole objective of contributing to a BSD project is that you are building a based that can be used by anyone for open and closed business with that same base. This is very unique to BSD type or Apache type licenses and forms one of the main reasons contributors contribute to these projects.

So, let's now go beyond the question of SCA and see what else is going on.

The update and simplification of SCA submission process for MySQL, came along with equally important simplification of forge pages for contributors and with an effort to speed up the review of contributions and continuting with greater openness in MySQL development processes. [These apparently fragmented but hopefully useful (and ultimately coherent) steps have all been part of a larger initiative to facilitate openness, community participation and contributions. Again, please refer to the Golden Rules. Hopefully, you can faciliate and help the MySQL community to get more open and vibrant as an open-source community.]

It is important to note, here, that roots of this initiative go back to some years earlier. So, the initiative is related in part to a continuing series of efforts to make MySQL more open and more contributor friendly, including the famous "quality contribution program," which was originally launched by the MySQL community team. (In a sensem the "quality contribution program" has evolved into this simpler, more robust model and many of the lessons learned there have also been applied and used here.)

Under the SCA, contributors can contribute to all MySQL open-source products in open forums and issue tracking "systems"-- internals list, bug tracking system, worklog system. I put quotes around "systems" because there's more to be done to make these systmes work better together in a more open environment. Note that the MySQL team prefers to receive code contributions and bug fixes through the first two modes because those two modes (i.e., bugs db issue tracking and the internals mailing list) better afford two-way communications. Note, too, that contributions can be at the level of bug fixes or features.

Why would anyone contribute?

Well, there's a great deal of challenge to contribute anything to a software as sophisticated and complex as a database.

Besides the reputational effects, there's also this practical effect that once a contribution has been absorbed, the contributor will no longer have to worry about constant merges to get the effect he or she expects form MySQL.

Of course, there are many other reasons as well. For example, there are those who are just problem solvers, and find it exciting to contribute to MySQL. However, let me stop speculating on this any further. Instead, let me point you to an "internals" posting by Stefan Hinz, regarding a "MySQL University" session on replication features in 5.1 and 6.0.

2009-05-10 23:32:36.0 -- Comments [4] ; Permalink ; Trackback.
communities databases development governance mysql open programming sca software

Monday April 27, 2009

[ Code ] More Code Contributions to MySQL

MySQL has deep roots in open-source software development communities and code contributions to MySQL keep flowing in, being reviewed and integrated into the MySQL. 

During our BoF at the MySQL Conference and Expo, Lenz Grimmer talked about our work to make MySQL (even more) contributor friendly, with some more focused effort starting on February 1, 2009¹.

The desire to contribute code to MySQL remains as strong as ever as evidenced by this year's MySQL Conference and Expo, where I had an opportunity to speak with some contributors and partners who wish to contribute to MySQL. Of course, there are a lot of strong and varying opinions in this area.

As I said above, code has been contributed and absorbed in MySQL (according to either the MySQL CLA or SCA contributor agreements) for years now.

Examining just the patches and contributions submitted through the MySQL Bugs database, some 16 pieces of code contributions to MySQL have been absorbed into some version of the MySQL server in the first 4 months of this calendar year, and there are some 17 SCA signatories who are intent on contributing to MySQL.

As examples of code contributions being currently reviewed, one may point to two thread on "internals," one involving a review by Konstantin Osipov (contributor: Antony Curtis, WL#820) and another a review by Guilhem Bichot (contributor: Erik Ljungstrom). 

[1] February 1, 2009 was exactly 10 years from the day I started working for Sun Microsystems Inc., February 1, 1999, when I started in the J2EE RI development team.

2009-04-27 22:28:17.0 -- Comments [5] ; Permalink ; Trackback.
code contributions databases mysql open-source

Thursday April 23, 2009

[ Technology ] Workbench Rocking

Mike Hillyer talks about MySQL Workbench. Very nice workshop! (Hillyer will make slides and screen recording of his talk available.)

This is a great platform-native application. All presentation code is written for each specific platform. It is the second most-popular download and the second most purchased product in the MySQL online shop.  There's a community edition and there's a standard edition of the Workbench. People in the workshop got a 1 year subscription to the commercial, standard edition.

I'm sitting in the room here in MySQL Conference. I'm running a WB 5.1 edition I've built on my MacBook Pro laptop.

2009-04-23 15:09:47.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
data-modelling databases mysql tools workbench

Wednesday April 22, 2009

[ Technology ] Another Pluggable Storage Engine for MySQL

Kazuho Oku of Cybozu Labs, Inc., a community contributor to MySQL and SCA signatory, gives a talk on Q4M, a message queue stroage engine for MySQL.

2009-04-22 12:17:45.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
contribution contributor databases developer message messaging middleware mysql products programming queue storage

[ Technology ] Kaj Shoot Out on Cloud Computing

I'm sitting in Kaj Arnö's Cloud Computing Shoot Out here in the MySQL Confernce & Expo. Great panel, great discussion! The important question, always, is about business models related to storage vs. compute clouds.

2009-04-22 09:47:14.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
cloud-computing conference databases mysql

Friday April 17, 2009

[ Code ] A BoF on Community Code Contributions to MySQL

The BoF schedule for MySQL Conference and Expo (2009) is now published. Lenz Grimmer, Sergei Golubchik, Tomas Ulin and myself will be available during a BoF which focuses on MySQL Community Code Contributions. Lenz will be moderating. For background material, you may start here.

2009-04-17 22:12:34.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
code conference databases developers mysql programming technology

Wednesday April 15, 2009

[ Code ] Developing with MySQL Connector/C++

Giri Mandalika has written an article showing how to develop C++ database applications for MySQL and another article showing how to install MySQL Connector/C++ from the source.

2009-04-15 14:29:34.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
c++ connectors databases development drivers mysql programming

Tuesday April 14, 2009

[ Code ] MySQL Conference Notes

MySQL Conference 2009 is coming around the corner, next week, in Santa Clara.

You may want to delve into the notes, as a fast way to learn about the happenings.

If you want to become an active code contributor to MySQL, the hackfest by Mark Callaghan seems interesting, and you should probably also start here and here. 

There will also be a special BoF geared to community contributors. (I still haven't been able to find out about the exact timing of this but you should be able to find out if you're there. Once I learn about the exact time, I'll post it here.)

2009-04-14 23:06:14.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
community conference databases developers mysql notes programming users

Wednesday April 08, 2009

[ Design ] Double Free

MySQL Workbench has already received some great accolades this year and there is more to come!

Now, those attending the MySQL Users Conference will have a chance to become a MySQL schema design expert.

The Conference will include a free MySQL Workbench workshop called “Introduction to Data Modeling with MySQL Workbench” on Thursday (April 23, 2009) 3 - 4:30 PM in the Santa Clara Ballroom. According to Mike Zinner, MySQL Workbench development lead, "We are also offering a full tutorial on this topic on Monday that will have even more advanced content. Learn more about this here."

The Tuesday workshop will cover general concepts from basics of database schema design to performance-tuning of your schemata as well as more specific topics such as MySQL Workbench basics to WB add-ons and more will all be covered. This will also be a great chance to get introduced and plugged into the MySQL Workbench community. 

Last but not least, everybody attending the Tuesday Workshop will receive a 12-month MySQL Workbench Standard Edition subscription for free. (In case you're wondering, Workbench SE is the commercial edition of Workbench.)

There will be a limited number of seats. So register as soon as you can. 

• REGISTRATION: Introduction to Data Modeling with MySQL Workbench

Finally, Mike Hillyer will be giving the Monday tutorial on "Introduction to Data Modeling with MySQL Workbench".

2009-04-08 16:41:35.0 -- Comments [1] ; Permalink ; Trackback.
conference databases design developer free mysql tools workbench

Tuesday April 07, 2009

[ Code ] Three Great Beta Deliveries in One Week

Three great beta deliveries in one week!

MySQL Connector/.Net 6.0.2 beta, a new version of the all-managed .NET driver for MySQL.

MySQL Connector/C++ 1.0.4 beta, a new release providing  C++ API for connecting client applications to the MySQL Server. If you know JDBC, this should be familiar to you.

MySQL Connector/C 6.0.0 beta, a new version of the C API for accessing MySQL database servers

Use them and let us know what you think.

Learn more about Connector/C++ here.

Learn more about Connector/C here.

For FAQ on MySQL Connector/C; MySQL Native C API; libmysql; libmysqld, see here.

Addendum (April 9, 2009):

Ulf Wendel has just announced the alpha version of the MySQL driver for Open Office. (Thanks go, also, to Andrey Hristov who did much of the work behind this! For a full list of credits, see Frank Schoenheit's note.)

Instead of calling the MySQL Client Library directly, as the earlier versions did, the new version relies completely on the MySQL Connector/C++. (See above.) As Ulf notes, "Connector/OpenOffice.org is a thin wrapper around Connector/C++. OpenOffice.org and the MySQL Connector/C++ are written in C++. The OpenOffice.org database interface is derived from JDBC. Connector/C++ offers a JDBC like API."

2009-04-07 22:54:53.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
.net c c++ connectors databases jdbc microsoft mysql software

Tuesday March 31, 2009

[ Code ] MySQL Community Contribution: One bug fix at a time ...

It is all about one bug fix, one little feature, one step at a time.

Armin Schöffmann fixed a bug (Deadlock in mysql_real_query with shared memory connections, is what Armin calls it), Armin signed the Sun Contributor Agreement (24 March 2009), Vladislav Vaintroub and Davi Arnaut reviewed, committed and queued the patch to MySQL 5.0 bug team (26 and 27th of March, 2009).

That's a great example of open, contribution-based MySQL development with real results.

Thank you Armin!

Thank you Vlad!

Thank you Chad!

Thank you Davi!

Thank you ... the one whose name I've left out! (Feel free to leave a comment below.)

2009-03-31 23:41:55.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
contribution databases mysql open-source software

[ Code ] MySQL Ideas for Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

Check out the ideas from MySQL for Google Summer of Code 2009!

These are specially-selected projects for students who are looking to do some coding in a real, open-source, highly-adopted software environment. 

The learning experience will be tremendous given that MySQL engineers will be mentoring them. 

Some student stipend is provided by the Google Summer of Code. It is intended for students to gain "exposure to real-world software development scenarios and the opportunity for employment in areas related to their academic pursuits."

2009-03-31 11:36:40.0 -- ; Permalink ; Trackback.
code databases mysql software technology

Monday March 30, 2009

[ Business ] A Toast to Marten Mickos

As Marten Mickos gets ready to move on, his executive buddies raise a toast in his honor.

2009-03-30 10:37:20.0 -- Comments [4] ; Permalink ; Trackback.
databases mysql open-source software

Friday March 27, 2009

[ Business ] Microsoft Takes Note of MySQL

In a Financial Times report today about RedHat's quarterly earnings, Sam Ramji of Microsoft takes note of MySQL and its influence as a key component in the general move towards open-source software:

Larger deployments of open-source to firms that already run the technology in a small way might be the most that happens, due to the fact that recessions make IT managers worry about risk. For the same reasons, a recession is not the time to switch a workforce to a new technology.

Microsoft is counting on that, while accepting that every leading company will soon be running at least some open-source software.

“It’s a heterogeneous world,” said Microsoft’s Sam Ramji. While Microsoft continues to warn about the legal and economic perils of relying on Linux and similar systems, Mr Ramji’s role is to make sure that open-source programs already in use can work in conjunction with Microsoft software.

That way, just because a company is using the MySQL open-source database, it will not feel compelled to put it on top of the Linux operating system. By some measures, that defence is working well – Mr Ramji said 56 per cent of MySQL instances were running on Windows.

Then again, the easier Mr Ramji makes it for IT buyers to economise by putting open-source in more places, the more they will do just that and undermine his business in the longer-term.

2009-03-27 11:04:15.0 -- Comments [4] ; Permalink ; Trackback.
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