Colin Charles Agenda

The MySQL User Guide is worth looking at. Its not the reference manual (which is excellent - kudos to our Documentation Team). Its target audience are users that are new to databases or users that are new to MySQL in general.

What’s really interesting about the MySQL User Guide is that you can help shape it. You, the community, can participate in writing it!

I for one, know that this is the easiest way you can start contributing to any open source project. Documenting it. Soon, you will realise that you’ve become an expert (writing documentation, or giving training, will always keep you sharp). Some move on to then delving in coding, some go on being consultants, and some end up being hired by the company that sponsors the project ;)

The URL again: http://userguide.forge.mysql.com/

Happy writing!

Technorati Tags: mysql, community, documentation, forge, user guide, contributing, open source, advocacy, mysql user guide

Dunno if this is a new feature, but Facebook has integrated instant messaging (IM) to folk that are on Facebook. This is like Google doing their Google Talk chats inside GMail. More and more reason why the web browser replaces the traditional desktop application?

Facebook IM

Do I like being able to only talk to folk that are my friends? Naturally. One wonders though why we have so many different identities, on different services. The one that consolidates them all, is the one that enables ease of use, is the one that will “win”.

Me? I’m old fashioned. I like my IM client. I like my email client. All desktop clients I might add. The kids of today? They’re happy with everything web-based. Besides, the concept of syncing stuff offline is slowly becoming more popular with web-based applications, so maybe eventually, I too might like these new web applications…

Technorati Tags: web, communications, IM, facebook, in-browser, browser experience, history, thoughts

I read the newspapers on the plane yesterday, it was the Sunday New Straits Times. I suddenly realised, that it provided dated news. Dated how?

I had already read about the Malaysian Dreamgirl from various blogs I follow in Google Reader. I had also already read about the Nokia challenge with regards to their N82 and using the GPS and so on. Heck, I had even seen the pictures and more.

Why does anyone bother with the drivel that is printed media? Its all one big propaganda machine for the ruling party of the day (albeit weakened).

Media might still matter in countries where freedom of media expression exists (Australia, the United States, etc.), but in nations where media expression is stifled, and the Internet is uncensored, old media is dead.

Bold statement? I have a feeling I’m somehow right though.

MySQL will be in Beijing, China, this week. Well, not MySQL per se, but I will be there. As will Kaj Arno. I arrive on 21 April 2008 and depart on 24 April 2008. I expect to be busy during the days, but my nights should be free. Drop me email at colinATmysqlDOTcom if you’d like to catch up.

There’s an event, on the 23rd of April as well. Its part of the Sun-MySQL World Tour. You definitely should be there, I’m sure there will be some nice schwag involved as well :)

Sitting in San Francisco, getting a little bored before my flight to Beijing. And Twitter is down, for 1.5 hours, for what they seem to call database maintenance. Wonder why. At least there’s IRC…

Technorati Tags: beijing, mysql, world tour, sun

What made Marie Digby? I’ve heard about her on the radio from time to time, while I do the unnatural act of driving somewhere. Now, I’ve been invited to an event, where the tagline says that she’s “a star born from YouTube”. I had to dig further.

Decided to watch the famous video. Its just her, sitting with her guitar, performing an acoustic version of Rihana’s Umbrella. Nothing fancy. I’m told she sat in front of her MacBook to make the “hit”.

Grassroots marketing? Bands try much harder, and still feel the pain of becoming somewhat famous. What makes her different? Beauty (she’s of Japanese-American heritage)? Sultry look?

I wonder what her tipping point was. She’s had it easy, when you think about it. The Internet has popularised so many good things, and even if you rewind back say fifteen years ago, there is no way an artist would have made it easily, via grassroots events/stunts.

Aren’t you glad you’re part of the free software revolution? If not for Linux (SuSE), Python, MySQL, and lots and lots of disk, you will not be seeing Marie Digby, now will you? And naturally, if not for the ease-of-use of her Apple laptop, and how they’ve become commodity hardware (15 years ago, there were for “graphics professionals” and were sordidly expensive). Times do change.

Maybe I’ll go to the event… if I’m not too jet-lagged (imagine, planning a month in advance to be jet-lagged)…

Technorati Tags: marie digby, music, youtube, trends, rihana, umbrella, macbook, apple, open source, free software revolution, tipping point

Its worth noting that all talks that have been blogged are being linked on the Forge Wiki. Take a look at Notes from the conference. There are some great entries there, and when the slides become live on the website (today, I believe), you can gather heaps of information, if you missed the most successful MySQL Conference & Expo. Book early for next year.

Thank you bloggers!

Technorati Tags: mysql, mysqluc08, mysqluc2008, mysqlconf, conference notes, forge wiki, mysql forge

Hi! So this is completely my notes taken from the conference, without my thoughts attached to it. I should definitely post a lot more about this, and how the community can “improve” in time. Just not today. Believe me, sitting in the talk, was highly painful, and I’m wondering where my aspirin stash might be. The slides will be available soon, and lets just consider this a learning experience. It reminded me of the time Eric Raymond came to the Fedora Project’s very first FUDCon in Boston 2005 (probably the only session without available video :P).

What MySQL can learn from PostgreSQL
Joshua Drake
Read the rest of this entry »

Who is the Dick on my site?
Dick Hardt

Most interesting keynote. About 1,000+ slides. Many slides per minute. Definitely a new way of presenting :)

• What is identity? What is Identity 2.0?
• Identity is a complicated topic, and you normally get the tip of the iceberg. Identity changes during your stages in life.
• Works at SXIP Identity.
• I wondered what the German’s thought about identity. Identat. “They’re German” <applause>
• Answers.com had the best answers for identity.
• There’s lots of different personas about a person. Women really are the masters of different personas (clothes, wife, mother, etc.). Reinventing oneself.
• Identity allows you to predict behaviour…
• When someone is in a “role” (fireman, etc.), you think you can predict behaviour. Is this identity? It’s who you are, not really, no.
• blame.ca (his website)
• Identity transactions… on where is identity used? Party identification, authorisation, profile exchange (information about a person so you know them better).
• “Do you want to present ID at a bottle shop? If no, you can rollback the transaction!” <applause>
• Photo ID is a reusable credential. This is an identity transaction.
• Reputation built up on eBay? You can’t take it over to Craigslist. Identity 1.0 is site centric, its a walled garden.
• identity20.com
• Facebook is becoming a new silo. URIs enable things to be open (LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, etc.)
• DataPortability.org - user centric
• Kim Cameron - Laws of Identity (read it)
• Device convergence - near field communication, phones doing more than make calls, etc.
• Digital natives and immigrants. What are you? CNN == news source for natives, immigrants tend to use newspapers. I wouldn’t use CNN as an example myself, but the drift is there. Digital camera (immigrant) vs. just a “camera” (native). The younger generation are all digital natives…
• OAuth spec - take a gander at this…
• Reputation services: blogosphere (”pagerank”), open source contributions, wiki, “human” (so stop typing captchas!)
• Viagra. You’re excited to take it. You can do new things!
• myhealth.sg was mentioned. Singapore on the forefront of Identity 2.0 and OpenID? Or is it CardSpace (Microsoft) related?
• What happens when you die? Your domain can be taken by someone else. Do they then become you, if that was your OpenID? Very interesting thought.
• He flies Air Canada, and loves to talk about his Star Alliance Gold status :) Jives well with me, I’m Star Alliance Gold.

Technorati Tags: mysql, mysqlconf, mysqluc08, mysqluc2008, dick hardt, keynote, identity management, identity, identity 2.0, openid