Great news! MariaDB got its own DevRoom at FOSDEM 6-7 Feb 2021. Usually FOSDEM happens in Brussels, but nobody is surprised that it is virtual this year.
What FOSDEM is
FOSDEM is the biggest Free and Open Source Developers Meeting worldwide. I am sure it remains so in these pandemic times. While I will miss all the many social f2f encounters at FOSDEM, I am looking forward to meeting people virtually.
Separating MariaDB from MySQL
For MariaDB Foundation, this is no small challenge. We will have to establish a Program Committee of our own, when we have so far cohabitated with MySQL.
New MariaDB releases come with regular intervals. Releasing a new version is a balance between new functionality and bugfixes on one side, and stability on the other. How do we get optimum quality for the releases? And what exactly is quality, from the point of view of DBAs and developers that use MariaDB Server?
Kristian noted that the question “Which version of MySQL do you run on?” for a long time hasn’t been merely answered by a simple version number, since there are reasons to perceive MariaDB and Aurora to be “variations to the same theme”.
So you heard about the interesting presentations at the MariaDB Server Fest, but didn’t have time to watch them when we were live? Or you have so far seen only a couple of the presentations, but would like some hints at which other presentations are worthy of taking a look at?
That’s the purpose of this blog entry: to help you pick and choose, suggesting what could be interesting for you. All the Server Fest presentations are available on YouTube, with subtitles and Q&A sessions!
Four tips
A first tip: Most presentations have a short five-minute Q&A session.
taking place first in Paris, then in New York, and last in Singapore / Beijing (three days in each location)
The Fest was a first for MariaDB Foundation
The Server Fest was a first in many ways, for MariaDB Foundation:
The first time we addressed the users of MariaDB Server – not the developers of MariaDB Server
The first time we went virtual – so far, we have always met face to face
The first time we did a conference with Call for Papers and an approval process – earlier, we had what we called unconferences, with a very spontaneous agenda
MariaDB Server Fest is coming to Asia Pacific! Beijing and Singapore are the two symbols for the timezones, much like Paris for the Server Fest in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and New York for the Server Fest in the Americas.
The reason we have two different symbols for the same time zone is that we want to adapt to the different Internet landscape in China.
Singapore is like Paris and New York
For Singapore, things look like they do in Paris and New York.
The MariaDB Server Fest next month has approved quite a number of exciting presentations. The presenters are now busy filming their presentations, which will be aired three times – Monday to Wednesday 14-16 September 2020 in the Paris timezone (for EMEA), Tuesday to Thursday 15-17 September 2020 in the New York timezone (for the Americas), and Friday to Sunday 18-20 September 2020 in the Beijing timezone (for APAC).
Interactivity through cloning
Through logic (not magic), we have cloned the presenters. As the presentation is aired in the form of video, slides and voice, the presenter is fully concentrating on following what you, the attendee, ask in the chat room.
Get Set for Set Theory: UNION, INTERSECT and EXCEPT in SQL
In a tad more than six minutes, you’ll see exactly how UNION, INTERSECT and EXCEPT work, starting in MariaDB 10.3, a few years back.
Ian explains what they are for, and the option to change default behaviour of DISTINCT with ALL (of which the ALL option was introduced in MariaDB 10.5).
