MySQL 4.0.1 is now officially available for RedHat Linux and is available in alpha (beta) release for all other major operating systems (including Windows, Solaris, FreeBSD, MacOS X, HP-UX, AIX, and SGI Irix). MySQL is a fast, reliable, easy to use database server that consists of a multi-threaded SQL server that supports different backends, several different client programs and libraries, administrative tools, and several programming interfaces. Additionally, MySQL Server is now offered as a multi-threaded library which can be linked into your application to get a smaller, faster, easier to manage product.
The latest release offers new features geared towards existing business and community users, enhancing MySQL as the solution for mission-critical, heavy load database systems. The new embedded MySQL server library targets users of embedded databases. Using libmysqld, one can embed MySQL into various applications and electronics devices, where the end user has no knowledge of there actually being an underlying database. Embedded MySQL is ideal for use behind the scenes in internet appliances, public kiosks, turn-key hardware/ software combination units, high performance internet servers, self-contained databases distributed on CD-ROM, etc.
MySQL’s performance has been enhanced in a number or areas as well, inluding bulk INSERTs, searching on packed indices, and the creation of FULLTEXT indices. Additional new features in v4.0.x include the table handler InnoDB with full support for transactions and row-level locking, support for secure traffic between the client and the server (i.e. SSL support for the mysqld server daemon process), support for multi-table DELETE statements, support for symbolic linking to MyISAM on the table level, support for the UNION SQL statement, and migration features like support for TRUNCATE TABLE (as in Oracle) and IDENTITY as a synonym for automatically incremented keys (as in Sybase).
MySQL 4.0.1 can be downloaded at:
http://www.mysql.com/downloads/mysql-4.0.html.
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