Sun buys MySQL

I just read on Slashdot that Sun Microsystems acquired MySQL. That is of particular interest to me because I love MySQL. I use it for all of my side projects and some of my professional projects. It should be interesting because MySQL has gained a lot of popularity with PHP developers and the whole LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and either Perl, Python, or PHP) movement. Many web developers who use MySQL, don't seem to think of Java as the first language to use with it. Java, being Sun's major programming platform, is now going to be linked to MySQL. So I wonder if the LAMP acronym might be changed to LAMJ???? I know, that doesn't make much sense. But from my perspective, a web developer who loves to develop in Java, that combination opens a lot of doors.

This acquisition might also open MySQL up to a more professional world. For the past 10 years, though MySQL has been used in some minor projects and applications, the big question I always see in regards to databases is "Oracle or SQL Server?" Many of the organizations I worked for didn't really trust MySQL. So now, I wonder if companies and organizations might change their mind, now that MySQL has Sun behind them.

What happened to javarss?

About a year ago, javarss.com got hacked. Back up, for those who do not know that Javarss is, it was a simple site that had a really nice AJAX driven interface containing RSS feeds from all of the major Java websites. It was simple, just a bunch of links, organized by Website, and when you hovered over them, you'd get a brief synopsis of what the article was about. A one stop shop for Java info and advancements. For busy people, like me, it saved me the trouble of surfing through a dozen or so web sites each day to to find interesting topics.

Well, it was great, until it got hacked back in March 07. The hacker go into the server, and replaced the javarss page with a evil (and kind of neat) looking page, proclaiming "Hacked By Secretary Lucifer". The hacker even left a couple email where the server admins can contact them, possibly about getting their access back. Well, a couple months later, the server admins finaly gain control again, but they never bring Javarss back up. All that remains is a message that reads "We are restoring the site. Please visit us later...". This has been like this for about 6 months. I would love to know how the hackers got in, I love learning about that stuff.

So, what happened? I mean, c'mon, they are just loosing money, and loosing loyal followers with each passing day that they stay closed. I can honestly say that since their demise, I have started to frequent DZone a lot more. DZone is a similar concept, but with a much more rich interface, and they are find articles for languages other then Java. After all, we are developers, not Java Developers. So, I highly recommend you check it out if you haven't already.

Uggg, blogging is hard

Wow, I haven't posted since January. I actually forgot about this blog for a while. I was about to delete it, figuring that no one is reading it. Besides, I never post to it. Is it because I don't have enough time? Nah, I don't think that is the problem. I think that it has a lot to do with the fact that I wanted this blog to be something epic. I wanted to reach the average coders out there who are too timid to risk being teared appart on a Linux user forum by asking a question about PHP. But I wanted it to be informative to everyone like Ben Forta's blog, or the Coding Horror blog (seriously, you should check this one out). And in doing so, I was unconsciously putting the concept of this blog up on a throne. The importance I placed in my message is what was causing me to delay my next entry. I was too nervous that what I would write wouldn't be important enough, or would be considered as child's play to some of the more advanced coders out there.

But I've realized something over the past couple months. Given my experience and education, I am actually on the same playing ground as many of the advanced coders. They just have more confidence in what they say than I do. So, the trick is to post blogs, and keep posting. Not worrying about whether or not my information is going to be an epic, or an awe inspiring message of programming genius. Hell, if I can help one person set up Tomcat with a project that is a non-war deployment, and have their servlets and JSPs reloadable, then I think I've done my job.

That reminds me, along with my previous posts about Tomcat 5.5, make sure you set the reloadable attribute to true in the context.xml file under the $CATALINA_HOME/conf directory.

<context reloadable="true">

That will aid in making your classes (servlets) reloadable without restarting the server, or using WAR file deployment.

Till the next time. Keep coding.