* First release candidate of MySQL 5.0 is out
Those who write for, support, install and maintain the widely used open source MySQL database platform will be interested in the first release candidate of the forthcoming MySQL 5.0, launched last week.
Dubbed by its developers as “the most important release in MySQL’s history,” MySQL 5.0 includes new features that will allow for easier porting of applications written for other databases to a MySQL environment. The software’s makers say the new database will also run better with certain compute-intensive applications.
A large area of improvement is the implementation of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications. According to MySQL, ANSI SQL standards will be integrated into the way MySQL databases are viewed, and in the way data is stored and recalled from MySQL databases. This will allow MySQL databases to be more compatible with other SQL-based database platforms, such as IBM’s DB2. Information schema for ANSI SQL will also be introduced in the new version of MySQL.
Improvements have also been added to the ways MySQL checks for errors, invalid numbers and strings. Also, a new library for fixed-point arithmetic, based on ASNI SQL libraries is being introduced to improve the accuracy of calculations for financial or scientific applications using MySQL as a back end.
Released in beta earlier this year, MySQL 5.0 has since been downloaded 2 million times as open source programmers work though the bugs and features in the code. A general availability date has not been set for the final version of MySQL 5.0.
Do you use MySQL and Linux? Or do you use another open source database with your Linux servers? I’m interested to hear how readers are implementing these popular open source platforms. Write early, and often.
