MySQL AB invited me to Frankfurt to talk about their PHP native driver project. While I am not much of a C-hacker, I do know database API's and users preferences in them quite well from my work on MDB2. As such my job was to present a wish list for features. Do note that this is a wish list and any features I mention in this blog post are not yet in any definitive plan. Aside from that, I also took it upon me to make sure that whatever we do, we try to keep the API as clear and simple as possible.

Anyways, at first I was wondering if the chance for a speed increase was really worth MySQL AB throwing developers at this. I am also not that concerned about the license of libmysql. With the FLOSS exception everything seems more or less ok. So why go through all the trouble? A lot of the wish lists items could easily be implemented on top of …

reporting about david geffen?s apparent bid for the los angeles times, nikki finke says ?He?ll ratchet up the Web site (even though he hates how prohibitively expensive it is to do that).?

prohibitively expensive? i guess there is still a lot of stupid money flowing into web properties. i?m in the wrong line of work.

a strange little side-note: mysql?s website gets more traffic than latimes.com, according to alexa.

I was over at the O'Reilly Web 2.0 conference and ended up in the "overflow" room.  At most conferences, the overflow room is like a dungeon for late comers.  At Web 2.0, they made this into a premium suite; it was sponsored by Google and there were comfy chairs, padded cubes to sit on, plenty of snack food and fridges stocked with your choice from dozens of caffeinated or healthy beverages.  Frankly, it was more comfortable in the overflow room than in the main conference area.  I happened to try a sugar-free energy drink called XS, from Quixtar (the Amway guys).  I'm not enough of a conoisseur to tell the difference between Red Bull and …

A bit late maybe, but I finally setup a new meeting: 29th of November.

If you're interested you can sign up to attend here: http://mysql.meetup.com/148/. If you don't like to register with Meetup, then just let me know and I'll sign you up for the meeting as guest.

On the agenda:
- Get to know each other
- New stuff in MySQL 5.0/5.1
- MySQL Enterprise: The WTH?-questions answered
- New storage engines
- and more..

Make some noise!

A bit late maybe, but I finally setup a new meeting: 29th of November.

If you're interested you can sign up to attend here: http://mysql.meetup.com/148/. If you don't like to register with Meetup, then just let me know and I'll sign you up for the meeting as guest.

On the agenda:
- Get to know each other
- New stuff in MySQL 5.0/5.1
- MySQL Enterprise: The WTH?-questions answered
- New storage engines
- and more..

Make some noise!

Above is a diagram of the Friendster backend at the time I was there. The entire presentation can be found here at mysqluc.com. Due to all the turmoil at Friendster, even with the coolest and most competent VP of Engineering in the business Jeff Winner we could not push my intended design. This design is now used at Flickr with huge success.

What I wanted to do was introduce a system that allowed Friendster to partition the user data. This was the same system that I started to implement at AuctionWatch in 1999 and was not able to …

Frank was on a role with MySQL quotes (it’s 1am here in New York - All that Red Bull & Vodka). Here are some of them:

Let me scale you!

Wanna scale.

Scale me Baby!

Backup Now!

MySQL - DBA Friendly.

MySQL - Use the Attitude.

MySQL. Be Bold!

MySQL. Look Again

MySQL - Coming to a website near you.

One small step for Data, one giant leap for DBA.

Data, we are serious about it.

My Job, My Passion. MySQL.

MySQL. Never Doubt.

MySQL. Scaling made Easy.

MySQL. Scaling all you want.

Got MySQL!

Do it with MySQL.

Scale Yourself.

MySQL or die.

I’ve also done some of my own shirts designs (see small images below), a number …

I'm looking for someone who wants to hone their existing 3+ years of C hacking and debugging skills on some of the fastest, most highly stressed core infrastructure applications ever created.

The full job description is available on the OmniTI Careers page.

A successful applicant for the position will join the ranks of my Dark Apprentices and will have the opportunity to learn and develop skills such as:

• Performant, scalable thinking. Writing and troubleshooting code that runs in high stress environments.
• Sith debugging. Mastering the inner mysteries to deduce ways to effectively reproduce and resolve otherwise impossible problems.
• All the fun and happy details of the various email specs.

• Dry wit. You'll have the option of picking up some of my British humour.

…

At the first ever MySQL Camp Proven Scaling is holding a session/BOF on replication. We want to hear what you like and don’t like about replication. What better to get conversation going but FREE BEER!

There is one tiny problem. We don’t know how much to buy or what kind. If you’re going to the camp help us out by putting your name and your favorite brew (brand and type) on the MySQL Replibeertion page.

Novell filed an 8K form with the SEC yesterday. It gives the details of the Microsoft/Novell deal and is an interesting read (as SEC filings go :-).

What's perhaps most interesting (though not surprising to the conspiracy minded among us) is how much of the money goes Novell's way. If Microsoft were truly concerned wtih getting a fair return on its IP, wouldn't the vast majority of the money be flowing its way? After all, Microsoft is the one with the Mount Everest-like stack of patents, not Novell. So, clearly, this money is intended as more than a fair exchange for patent cooperation.

(And, again, it still strikes me as completely goofy that Microsoft will be distributing SUSE Linux. I suspect Oracle won't …