Diary: Tuesday 28th December 2006 - Day 25
Seriously, while walking to my hotel (that’s another story in itself), I walked past the Apple Development Campus in Cupertino, and this is the road sign. I left a snip of the road and car to the right.
I started this post a month ago, but after Kaj’s discussion on the same topic at the MySQL Camp I figured it was time to post.
I had dinner with a friend recently (a very smart friend), and our conversation lead him to ask “What’s different with MySQL?”. One of the things I tried to describe was the “Pluggable Storage Engine Architecture” (PSE) potential for the future that I expect will set MySQL apart from all other Open Source and even commercial databases.
Here are some details of the example I tried to provide, given somebody who understands enough of the general principles of RDBMS’s.
Consider the ability that information (intelligent data) is available within a Relational Database via the appropriate tools and language (e.g. SQL) but it is not physically constrained to Tables, Columns and Rows of data and an application to manage that data which is the present traditional approach. Let’s use images that you take with your digital camera as an example.
In a typical RDBMS application you would create an application to managed the content of your data, with a number of tables, and links to the images etc. Of course you would need an application as well to both view and manage this information.
What if, you simply pointed your database to a directory of images and then was able to query information such as photos by date, or by size, by album, from a certain location, with given keyword etc. Most of this information about digital photographs is already there. This information is encoded into an Exif format that is embedded within JPEG images.
So what’s missing from this information? Tags and Comments are the most obvious, because this information can’t be determined electronically, this is something that humans do. If you could also embedded this information into an image with a suitable tool then you could be ready to manage your photos.
A further extension would be to have Image Analysis capabilities that enabled you to search for photos that contained the sky, or people, or something that was the color red.
What if in the future, your camera’s had a built in GPS and this information recorded within Exif, and then the ability to extend your output to link to popular on line mapping software such as Google Maps would exist. You could then use your digital camera to track your moves, taking photos that could then plot your path over a holiday, and also enabling location based queries.
It was interesting to postulate what ideas may be possible in the futre. I suspect that it won’t be long before we actually see this. So what are the other potentials that you may not consider. Another example may be a MP3 Dukebox style PSE, managing all the information held with ID tags of MP3 allowing you to do with music what could be done with images.
Here is some example content of Exif using EXIF Tool
./exiftool ~/Desktop/2006_02_23_AirShow/IMG_5966.JPG ExifTool Version Number : 6.50 File Name : IMG_5966.JPG Directory : /home/rbradfor/Desktop/2006_02_23_AirShow File Size : 2 MB File Modification Date/Time : 2006:09:24 17:44:32 File Type : JPEG MIME Type : image/jpeg Make : Canon Camera Model Name : Canon EOS 300D DIGITAL Orientation : Horizontal (normal) X Resolution : 180 Y Resolution : 180 Resolution Unit : inches Modify Date : 2006:02:23 16:01:56 Y Cb Cr Positioning : Centered Exposure Time : 1/320 F Number : 10.0 ISO : 200 Exif Version : 0221 Date/Time Original : 2006:02:23 16:01:56 Create Date : 2006:02:23 16:01:56 Components Configuration : YCbCr Compressed Bits Per Pixel : 3 Shutter Speed Value : 1/320 Aperture Value : 10.0 Max Aperture Value : 3.5 Flash : No Flash Focal Length : 18.0mm Macro Mode : Unknown (0) Self-timer : 0 Quality : Fine Canon Flash Mode : Off Continuous Drive : Single Focus Mode : AI Focus AF Canon Image Size : Large Easy Mode : Manual Digital Zoom : Unknown (-1) Contrast : +1 Saturation : +1 Sharpness : +1 Camera ISO : n/a Metering Mode : Evaluative Focus Range : Not Known AF Point : Manual AF point selection Canon Exposure Mode : Program AE Lens Type : Unknown (-1) Long Focal : 55 Short Focal : 18 Focal Units : 1 Max Aperture : 3.6 Min Aperture : 22 Flash Activity : 0 Flash Bits : (none) Zoom Source Width : 3072 Zoom Target Width : 3072 Color Tone : Normal Focal Plane X Size : 23.22mm Focal Plane Y Size : 15.49mm Auto ISO : 100 Base ISO : 200 Measured EV : 9.00 Target Aperture : 10 Target Exposure Time : 1/318 Exposure Compensation : 0 White Balance : Auto Slow Shutter : None Shot Number In Continuous Burst : 0 Flash Guide Number : 0 Flash Exposure Compensation : 0 Auto Exposure Bracketing : Off AEB Bracket Value : 0 Focus Distance Upper : -0.01 Focus Distance Lower : 5.46 Bulb Duration : 0 Camera Type : EOS Mid-range Auto Rotate : None ND Filter : Unknown (-1) Self-timer 2 : 0 Bracket Mode : Off Bracket Value : 0 Bracket Shot Number : 0 Canon Image Type : IMG:EOS 300D DIGITAL JPEG Canon Firmware Version : Firmware Version 1.1.1 Camera Body No. : 0930402471 Serial Number Format : Format 1 File Number : 159-5966 Owner's Name : Canon Model ID : EOS Digital Rebel / 300D / Kiss Digital Canon File Length : 2387078 WB RGGB Levels Auto : 1726 832 831 948 WB RGGB Levels Daylight : 0 0 0 0 WB RGGB Levels Shade : 0 0 0 0 WB RGGB Levels Cloudy : 0 0 0 0 WB RGGB Levels Tungsten : 0 0 0 0 WB RGGB Levels Fluorescent : 0 0 0 0 WB RGGB Levels Flash : 0 0 0 0 WB RGGB Levels Custom : 0 0 0 0 WB RGGB Levels Kelvin : 0 0 0 0 Color Temperature : 5200 Num AF Points : 7 Canon Image Width : 3072 Canon Image Height : 2048 Canon Image Width As Shot : 3072 Canon Image Height As Shot : 2048 AF Points Used : Mid-left Preview Quality : Normal Preview Image Length : 278318 Preview Image Width : 1536 Preview Image Height : 1024 Preview Image Start : 2108760 Preview Focal Plane X Resolution: 3443.9 Preview Focal Plane Y Resolution: 3442.0 User Comment : Flashpix Version : 0100 Color Space : sRGB Exif Image Width : 3072 Exif Image Length : 2048 Interoperability Index : R98 - DCF basic file (sRGB) Interoperability Version : 0100 Related Image Width : 3072 Related Image Length : 2048 Focal Plane X Resolution : 3443.946 Focal Plane Y Resolution : 3442.017 Focal Plane Resolution Unit : inches Sensing Method : One-chip color area File Source : Digital Camera Custom Rendered : Normal Exposure Mode : Auto Scene Capture Type : Standard Compression : JPEG (old-style) Thumbnail Offset : 2560 Thumbnail Length : 7680 Image Width : 3072 Image Height : 2048 Aperture : 10.0 Drive Mode : Single-frame shooting Flash : Off Image Size : 3072x2048 Lens : 18.0 - 55.0mm Preview Image : (Binary data 278318 bytes, use -b option to extract) Preview Image Size : 1536x1024 Scale Factor To 35mm Equivalent : 1.6 Shooting Mode : Program AE Shutter Speed : 1/320 Thumbnail Image : (Binary data 7680 bytes, use -b option to extract) WB RGGB Levels : 1726 832 831 948 Blue Balance : 1.140108 Circle Of Confusion : 0.019 mm Focal Length : 18.0mm (35mm equivalent: 27.9mm) Hyperfocal Distance : 1.67 m LV : 14.0 Lens : 18.0 - 55.0mm (35mm equivalent: 27.9 - 85.3mm) Red Balance : 2.075767
An interesting article in the local New Jersey paper this week. “Will Microsoft iPod-rival Zune be a ‘zoom’ or more of a ‘zzz’. This is Microsoft’s attempt to finally case in the 1.5 billion songs that have been sold online bt the Apple iTunes store. A comment from the article.
The Zune’s wireless function also taxes battery life. And Zun users - Zunies? - are in for some surprises when the actually try zapping songs to each other.
Those songs will deactivate in three days,or after three plays - whichever comes first.
I had a friend also tell me that the new Zune is not compatible with the upcoming Windows Vista. Now if that’s actually true, that’s amazing.
It seems, people are clammering for a more consolidated help guide for SQL Performance tips.
Jay Pipes at the MySQL Camp ran a session Interactive Top 10 SQL performance Tips. There was plenty of input and discussion, and at the time Sheeri simply typed them into a wiki page for later work.
Well it seems even that rough list is popular at Del.icio.us ranking near the top of the Hot List on the front page. I saw it earlier and it was second or third, but didn’t think of taking a screen shot until now, but it’s still high.
I’d say that we could easily get the Top 10 for up to 10 different categories rather easily. Good luck Jay.
At our MySQL Camp Jay and Brian pitted off in the Umbrella Joust. Not sure if there was a winner, or a looser, but in the end no blood was split (except Leslie, but that’s another story).
See these and more camp photos at Flickr.
Some early notes by Brian Aker on Falcon as discussed at the MySQL Camp.
Falcon is a transactional engine MySQL will be introducing. The first discussions were held about 3 years ago with Ann Harrison and about 1 1/2 years ago, MySQL started taking seriously the possibilities.
Falcon is not an InnoDB replacement. It’s a different way of looking at the problem of how it looks at and manages transactions, and how it’s designed. It flips around the way data is stored. Some points:
In general discussions is was mentioned from the floor the fear that there will be so many storage engine options, and you will need a matrix for what is good for what.
In conclusion, Brian mentioned it will be alpha before the end of year.
I was able to acquire my first piece of Google wear at the recent MySQL Camp Conference.
You see a look of cool Google things and little did I know you can buy a lot of it at The Google Store. Amazing!
Monty gave us a quick overview of next generation of MyISAM. It is set to include:
No details of time frame were given for delivery, however development is well underway.
What the?
Well this is the inheritance diagram of the Item Class in the MySQL 5.1 Source tree, nicely documented using the Doxygen tool as mentioned by Jay in his presentation at MySQL Camp.
Jay started the Community Doxygen Project on the Forge to improve the level of commenting enabling a better platform for the community to contribute MySQL server code changes.
At this early stage David Shrewsbury is working on fine tuning initial documentation examples for QA and review. You can check out the Status Page of automated commenting conversion.
You can see the present documentation of MySQL 5.1 source here.
So, mid morning especially after having a heavy and late night drinking with new friends in Palo Alto I was seeking at Day #3 of the MySQL Camp a high-caffeine pick me up drink. Yesterday I had a Bawls, and after enjoying it I was a little concerned that when I returned to New York I would not be able to buy it. You can get it at Think Geek but that’s more complicated then a local supermarket.
So after getting a Googler to get me to the cafe fridge we find out that there weren’t any there. No problem, lets just go this way I’m told. So we start a quick tour of the larger cafe area and another set of fridges but no Bawls, we keep walking, no more again. At this time the recommendation is I should try a Rockstar, but so far no luck either. Then we head into another area (all in the same building) to a micro kitchen, no Bawls and no Rockstar, but man, it’s an entire kitchen, with like 15+ cereals alone on tap for reference. My host is now committed for me to find and try his recommendation of a RockStar. Off now, still in the same building upstairs. At this time I’m blown away. The first desk I actually walk past has a Dell 24″ Widescreen LCD monitor, of which I have one, See my comments here. One blink later to then see a desk in the next area with two side by side in vertical mode. Blink again, and in this area there are four desks, and each desk has twin Dell 24″ Widescreen LCD monitors. They were everywhere I looked. WOW!!!!
So at the next micro kitchen we finally achieve our objective. A Rockstar. Sometimes the journey is just as rewarding as the prize. In this case I got a quick and very amazing tour of just a small part of one building.
Some details about the Rockstar. Firstly not bad, certainly was a pick me up, and it didn’t take long to kick in. And when I looked at the Supplement Facts on the can. % Daily Value = 130%. So this is today’s total intake plus 1/3 of tomorrows. Oops! Breakfast, morning tea, and now Indian for lunch! (Update. I’m a dick, hence the need for the drink originally as beer killed too many brain cells. As pointed out it’s a value of 130 for calories and blank for % daily value.)
I was also told that Googlers can get addicted to the high energy drinks here. Yes, I’m certain that is true.
Early on Sunday Day #3, I dragged a few willing participants out for a “different photo” based on the umbrellas in each Lobby. It worked out well. Special thanks to Kynan who ran around to other lobby’s to find additional umbrellas. (He is the one holding the white one, and yes, that’s a utility Kilt).
I’ll be uploading more in this series to My Flickr Photos MySQL Camp 01 soon.
You can get a larger copy of image Here.
MySQL Replibeertion was the last scheduled session on Day 2, but not withstanding there was free beer (a lot of), there was a serious side with a Replication Discussion.
One of the first questions by Jeremy was “Are the any big replication users?” to which Sheeri quickly replied “Are you calling me fat again”.
This was a highly interactive session, here are some of the points from the audience.
Some Uses of Replication
Issues
Feature Results (Things replication needs, what you want to see)
Check out more at Google Code Blog.
Continuing on from my Day 1 - Memorable Quotes from the MySQL Camp.
“Are there any big replication users” — Jeremy “Are you calling me fat again” — Sheeri
“Only some of us have problems with interruptions.” — Jeremy to Jay
“It really really sucks in production systems.” — Jeremy About Slave management by Master.
“So there are like 12 people here, it must be the CEO’s turn to talk.” — Marten Mickos MySQL CEO
“Kegs and Eggs” — Joel S. Regarding all beer that will still be available at breakfast tomorrow.
“You can fight to the death for it”, Jeremy to his two employees Joel and Justin about who gets to be called employee #1.
“Patches go to employee #1″ — Ronald directed to Joel when a replication patch was coined by Jeremy and Eric.
“It’s a little like Google, there are no numbers”. In response to getting any dates/times on a commitment to functionality by MySQL.
“There is a way, but you don’t want to do it.” — Monty on a topic in using Replication Slave for Master Backups
“The Blackhole storage engine is really really scary. It’s not just the name, it’s a hack.” — Jeremy
“It will suck you in.” — More on the Blackhole Storage Engine.
“It still scares me.” — Jeremy are a long discussion by Brian on the Blackhole architecture concluding with the transactional state.
“I’m not sure I’d buy that.” — Brian continuing on more comments about the blackhole discussion.
“Let’s not optimize things that won’t happen in the grand scheme of things” — Jeremy
“You asked what I wanted to see, not what was practical” — Sheeri
“Wasting network bandwidth is great” — Jeremy
“People do lots of weird things to do performance”.
“All you need is beer and love”.
“Oh” — Sheeri. Long pause. “Light bulb pops up” — Jeremy
“Are we eating Oracle’s lunch? No we are eating Oracle’s dessert” — Marten Mikos MySQL CEO
Our first session in Day 2 of the MySQL Camp was the MySQL Winter of Code, as well as an overview of the QA Pilot program and Overview of the Community Doxygen Project by Kaj Arnö and Jay Pipes.
Starting with discussions on Code Contributions & MySQL Winter of Code
Quality Contributer Program
Requirements for Winter of Code
Topics for Winter of Code 2007
Which versions does it go to?
Colin, son of Gary is officially the youngest attendee of the MySQL Camp. The new breed of MySQL DBA’s.
Colin really loves the swivel chairs, and now has is own Google shirt courtesy of Leslie!
Also check it out on Gary’s site.
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