One of the things that I am really happy about in MariaDB is that we have our releases available as apt (and yum for Centos) repositories. This is largely thanks to being able to build this on the OurDelta package build infrastructure (which again builds on things like the Debian packaging scripts for MySQL).

Something like the Debian apt-get package system (which is also used by Ubuntu) is one of the major innovations in the Free Software world in my opinion. Debian has spent many years refining this system to where it is today. Want to run the mysql client, but it isn't installed? Just try to run it on your local Ubuntu host:

    $ mysql
    The program 'mysql' can be found in the following packages:
     * mysql-client-5.0
     * mysql-client-5.1
    Try: sudo apt-get install <selected package>
    -bash: mysql: command not found

Installing …

Oracle’s proposed acquisition of Sun Microsystems looks set for approval by the European Commission after the competition commission welcomed commitments from Oracle related to the future development and licensing of the open source MySQL database.

The EC has until January 27, 2010, to reach a final decision however it appears that significant progress has been made following hearings in Brussels last week where Oracle made its case for approving the acquisition and opponents including SAP, Microsoft and Monty Program AB argued against the proposed acquisition.

Oracle has published a list of ten commitments that it is prepared to make to assuage the EC’s concerns over the future of MySQL, which were quickly and enthusiastically welcomed by the European Commission.

Oracle’s commitments …

Most of this year I have been working on the MariaDB project. So it is interesting to look back and see what has been achieved.

For those that do not know, MariaDB is a project to create a community-oriented branch of the MySQL code base. We want MariaDB to be developed for the community, by the community, and driven by the needs of the community.

Turns out that a lot has been achieved already:

• We have had three releases (and a fourth is being prepared currently). The code is getting close now to release candidate.
• We have apt-able (and yum-able on Centos/RHEL) repositories for the releases. These are based on the OurDelta infrastructure (scripts, build machines, etc). This means MariaDB installation and upgrade can be done the prefered way using the built-in package …

Matt Asay is right, in my opinion, to point out the inherent bias in the case Monty Widenius et al have made against Oracle’s potential ownership of MySQL. I would go further, however, in stating that the case being made against Oracle is flawed by the fact that it is so self-serving. For instance:

• I previously noted that the Widenius/Mueller case against Oracle owning Sun/MySQL is entirely dependent on the theory that Oracle will not invest in the ongoing development of MySQL, which is something it has publicly committed to doing.

• The case against Oracle owning Sun is also based on the theory …

Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether Oracle should be allowed to acquire the MySQL database along with Sun Microsystems including former MySQL/Sun executives, developers, rivals, partners, analysts, journalists, the Department of Justice and even US Senators. What do open source software users think?

We asked the members of the “CAOS user community”* to tell what they thought of the proposed deal, as well as share some details on current database usage. The results have been published in the form of a 451 Group report (subscribers only) but here’s some of the headline figures:

• The use of MySQL is expected to decline from 82.1% of the 347 respondents today as 78.7% expect to be using it in 2011, declining to 72.3% 2014.

• The proposed acquisition of MySQL by Oracle has a part to play in …

Following on from our earlier announcement, Paul McCullagh has responded with the answers to your questions - as well as a few I gathered from other Percona folks, and attendees of OpenSQL Camp. Thank you Paul!

What’s the "ideal" use case for the PBXT engine, and how does it compare in performance?  When would I use PBXT instead of a storage engine like MyISAM, InnoDB or XtraDB?

Unfortunately it is not possible to point to a specific category of applications and say, "PBXT will be better here, so try it".  PBXT is a general purpose transactional storage engine, designed to perform well on a broad range of tasks, much like InnoDB.  However, PBXT's log-based architecture makes performance characteristics different to both MyISAM and InnoDB/XtraDB. Tests show that PBXT's performance is similar to InnoDB but, depending on your database designed and the application, it can be faster.

PBXT is a …

You can now yum (RPM) or apt-get (DEB) MariaDB 5.1.39, courtesy of OurDelta and in close cooperation with Monty Program Ab. Simply follow the info on the CentOS, Debian or Ubuntu pages.

(note: give the mirrors some hours to sync up)

Quick overview

• See the Release Notes for relevant bugfixes.
• Drop-in replacement for stock MySQL 5.0 or 5.1 (If you’re coming from stock MySQL, see the MariaDB extras/differences overview). …

Antony is travelling up to Portland for this great event that’s about to start Fri evening and going over the weekend. He’ll be showing other devs and people more about the OQGRAPH engine, and gathering useful feedback.

Open Query is, together with many others (I see Giuseppe, Facebook, Gear6, Google, Infobright, Jeremy Cole, PrimeBase Technologies, Percona, Monty Program, and lots more), sponsoring the event so that it’s accessible for everybody – reducing the key factor to getting there rather than having to worry about high conf fees.

Having acquired the world’s biggest jetlag flying to Charlottesville VA for last year’s OpenSQL Camp, I can confirm from personal experience that it’s a great event. While I can’t be there this time, I’m looking forward to hearing all about it!

During this autumn I've had the pleasure of working closely with Georg Greve, Founder and former President of the Free Software Foundation Europe. Seeing that he had just left his previous post, we realized that his experience would be invaluable to do some of the heavy lifting involved in setting up processes for this fresh association. And so it has been!

As a result, we now have mundane things like a post box and accountant in Zurich where the non-profit association has its legal home. We are finally able to accept membership applications through the new website.

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Then please contact us:  i n f o (at) o u r d e l t a (dot) o r g

What are the requirements? Having a server with HTTP access and no hassles with low traffic limits. At this stage you’ll need about 5GB disk space, and you’ll use rsync to sync from the master servers (we’ll provide you with a script to help with that). Thanks!

With the new releases the traffic is up (not surprising) and while our existing mirrors appear to be doing ok so far, it’ll be good to have more available before we run into capacity or speed problems. We also haven’t yet split for geographic location, that too becomes a possibility with more mirrors.