Hi Darren: I think an update about the recommended minimum database version levels for your access modules is on-topic for this mailing list, but suspect that product advertisements are probably off-topic -- personal opinion, maybe, but I don't want to see this list become a dumping ground for the latest releases and associated features of Oracle, Postgres, Informix IDS, DB2, SQL Server, etc.
Dan On 10/24/05, Darren Duncan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > For those of you that use MySQL, this should be > welcome news, that version 5.0.x is now > officially stable, at 5.0.15. > > Speaking just personally, the recommended minimum > versions of certain database products to use with > my upcoming rewritten database access modules are > the following; they are all stable, and what I > will be testing with: > > - SQLite 3.x (3.2.7+) > - MySQL 5.x (5.0.15+) > - PostgreSQL 8.x (8.0.4+) > > I will also support several previous major > versions of all 3, but at lower priority, based > on user demand, partly to assist with upwards > migrations. > > -- Darren Duncan > > ------------------- > > Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 15:40:43 +0300 > From: Kaj Arnö <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Announcing MySQL 5.0 > > Dear user of MySQL, > > It is my pleasure to announce the production release of MySQL 5.0, which > is hereby GA (Generally Available). Since my announcement of the Release > Candidate less than a month ago, no bugs have been reported that require > a second Release Candidate. This, combined with the feedback from over > two million downloads of MySQL 5.0 during its beta phase, give us the > confidence to give MySQL 5.0 the status of Current Production Release, or GA. > > In the Release Candidate announcement less than a > month ago, I described MySQL 5.0 as "the most > important release in MySQL's history", and that > is certainly the case. Thus, I encourage you all > to: > > - get your own copy at > http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.0.html > > - do all of your new database development using MySQL 5.0 > > - upgrade your current MySQL environments to MySQL 5.0, as soon as > you've properly verified your production applications against it > (be sure to take a full backup of your data before upgrading, study > the relevant documentation, and if you have a MySQL Network support > contract, consult first with the MySQL Support Team) > > Let me also underline that we continue to offer some earlier versions of > MySQL Server for download. However, you should expect maintenance > releases for earlier versions only in limited form: > > - for MySQL 4.1, only when serious bugs affecting significant user > groups are reported > > - for MySQL 4.0, only when security bugs are reported > > MySQL 5.0 is the most ambitious release to date for MySQL AB. We have > added functionality that our users have requested from us over many > years. However, everything we do at MySQL centers around our three > priorities of Performance, Reliability, and Ease of Use. MySQL 5.0 is > certainly true to these company-wide values. > > Key new features of MySQL 5.0 come in three groups: > > a) ANSI SQL standard features formerly unknown to MySQL > > b) ANSI SQL standard compliance of existing MySQL features > > c) New MySQL Storage Engines, Tools and Extensions > > The new ANSI SQL features include: > > - Views (both read-only and updatable views) > > - Stored Procedures and Stored Functions, using the SQL:2003 syntax, > which is also used by IBM's DB2 > > - Triggers (row-level) > > - Server-side cursors (read-only, non-scrolling) > > Implementing ANSI SQL standard ways of using existing MySQL features > means there will be fewer unpleasant surprises ("gotchas") for those > migrating to MySQL from other database systems: > > - Strict Mode: MySQL 5.0 adds a mode that complies with standard SQL > in a number of areas in which earlier versions did not; we now do > strict data type checking and issue errors for all invalid dates, > numbers and strings as expected > > - INFORMATION_SCHEMA: An ANSI SQL-compliant set of tables that > provide database metadata, in parallel with the MySQL-specific > SHOW commands > > - Precision Math: A new library for fixed-point arithmetic, giving > high accuracy for financial and mathematical operations > > - VARCHAR Data Type: The maximum effective length of a VARCHAR column > has increased to 65,532 bytes; also, stripping of trailing whitespace > no longer occurs > > New MySQL Storage Engines, Tools and Extensions are: > > - XA Distributed Transactions > > - ARCHIVE Storage Engine for storing large amounts of data without > indexes in a very small footprint, intended for historical data that > may be needed for future audit compliance (Sarbanes Oxley or > otherwise) > > - FEDERATED Storage Engine for accessing data ín tables of remote > databases rather than in local tables (only in MAX version) > > - Instance Manager: a tool to start and stop MySQL Server, even remotely > > To find out more details on what's new in MySQL 5.0, follow the pointers > from http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/mysql-5-0-nutshell.html > > To find out the changes specific to MySQL 5.0.15 in relation to 5.0.13 > (the release candidate), see the two files > http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/news-5-0-14.html > and http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/news-5-0-15.html (5.0.14 was not > released publicly). > > MySQL 5.0 is also reflected in our GUI tools and Connectors: > > MySQL Administrator 1.1.4 and MySQL Query Browser 1.1.17 are aware of > the new MySQL 5.0 features. They can be used to write and test stored > procedures, create views, include them in scheduled backups and much more. > > The latest shipping versions of our Connectors work with MySQL 5.0, and > all connectors (MySQL Connector/ODBC, Connector/J and Connector/NET) > support all MySQL 5.0 flagship features. > > Of course, we recognize that any piece of software contains bugs. We > continue to need your involvement to ensure that MySQL 5.0 is the best > that it possibly can be. Should you find any issues in MySQL 5.0, report > them through our bug-reporting system at http://bugs.mysql.com/ and we > will improve upon MySQL 5.0 in upcoming maintenance releases. > > The MySQL team looks forward to your input > > - in our MySQL Forums at http://forums.mysql.com/ > - in the bug database at http://bugs.mysql.com/ > - in our mailing lists at http://lists.mysql.com/ > - in the PlanetMySQL blog aggregation via > http://www.planetmysql.org/newfeed.php > - in the User Comments of our manual at > http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/index.html > (specifically for Documentation comments) > - and in the form of downloads from > http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.0.html > > MySQL 5.0 is available now. Go download it, install it, and take benefit > from its many new features. > > And do keep us informed on how MySQL can help support you! > > Kaj Arnö > VP Community Relations > MySQL AB >