Jaslabs: High performance Software

By Justin Silverton

Many people may not realize that mysql has a free, enterprise version of the open-source database application.

It’s called maxdb and available here: http://www.mysql.com/products/maxdb/

Here are some benefits:

• Reduced cost of your SAP implementation
• Easy configuration and low administration
• Elaborate backup and restore capabilities
• Continuous operation, no scheduled downtimes required
• Designed for large number of users and high workloads
• Scales to database sizes in the terabytes
• High availability through cluster and hot-standby support
• Synchronization Manager to control enterprise-wide data replication
• Easy-to-use graphical database tools
• Available for all enterprise HW/OS platforms
• Supports all major SAP solutions

Languages supported (APIs):

• JDBC
• ODBC
• SQLDBC (native C/C++ interface)
• Precompiler (to be [re-]released soon)
• PHP
• Perl
• Python
• WebDAV
• OLE DB, ADO, DAO, RDO and .NET via ODBC
• Delphi and TCL via Third Party Programming Interfaces

Platforms supported

• HP-UX (HP-PA, ia64)
• IBM AIX (Power)
• Linux (x86_32, x86_64, ia64, PPC_64)
• Sun Solaris (SPARC, x86-64 support planned)
• Microsoft Windows 2000 (x86_32)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (x86_32, x86_64, ia64)
• Microsoft Windows XP (x86_32)

Differences from mysql

MaxDB is a mature product with 30 year history. The system offers built-in hot backup, does not need any online reorganizations and claims to be SQL 92 Entry-Level compatible. One current development goal is “zero administration” and by this “low TCO”.

Over the last years MaxDB has been intensively be improved, especially for mySAP Business Suite environments. You can expect very good OLTP performance combined with relatively low hardware requirements.

Uninterrupted operations and stability is another strength of MaxDB.

Helpful Links

Performance: http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/maxdb-performance-primer.pdf
Helpful Hints: http://maxdb.yapabout.com/

By Justin Silverton

Have you ever wanted a search engine that will show you articles and code samples from around the Internet?

BeebkeX (http://www.beeblex.com), a search engine for just php related material does just that.

some other interesting features of this site:

News Search: http://beeblex.com/index.php?d=phpa_news
Article Search: http://beeblex.com/index.php?d=phpa_articles
Job Search: http://beeblex.com/index.php?d=php_jobs
Blog Search: http://beeblex.com/index.php?d=php_blogs

some cool facts about the site

What does BeebleX index?

Articles and news that have appeared in phparchitect (phpa:)
A complete copy of the PHP manual (man:)
The mailing lists being hosted at php.net (lists:)
Several PHP-related Blogs (blogs:)
Several PHP-related Job Sites (jobs:)
We have plans to add articles from other websites, forum postings and PHP-related blogs to the engine in the near future.

What does BeebleX run on?

BeebleX runs on PHP 5.1 and Apache 1.3. The backend search engine is Xapian, to which our system interfaces using a custom extension

What are “PHP-related entries?”

Although we index all of the entries provided by a blog, we have implemented an algorithm that attempts to filter out only those entries that are related to PHP.
The algorithm is still a bit primitive, but it’s usually pretty efficient, regardless of whether a blog implements categories or not. Naturally, when we say “pretty efficient,” we mean that some non-PHP-related entries slip through from time to time. Like most other things related to BeebleX… this is a work in progress!

Are there any special shortcuts that I can use to speed up searches?

Yes! You can prefix your search with one of the following:
man: — performs a search on the PHP manual (e.g.: man: echo)
f: — finds a specific function in the PHP manual and redirects the user to it. (e.g.: f: echo)
phpa: — performs a search on phparchitect content (e.g.: phpa: xml)
lists: — performs a search on the mailing list archive (e.g.: lists: bug NEAR xml)
l:list — limits the search to mailing list list (e.g.: tabini l:php.general)
We also provide a feature called “Google passthrough” that you can use to bypass BeebleX and run your query directly against Google or Google Groups:
g: — bypasses BeebleX and runs the query transparently against Google (e.g.: g:tabini)
gg: — bypasses BeebleX and runs the query transparently against Google Groups (e.g.: gg:tabini)

By Justin Silverton

In a recent article from zdnet:

“Oracle played a big card when it bought InnoDB, the most popular way to inject data into the open source mySQL database.

Monday mySQL responds by getting Solid™ Information Technology, a proprietary database vendor, to take its solidDB Storage Engine for MySQL open source, under the GPL, starting in June.

Solid has its base in telecommunications and transaction processing, which had been considered a completely different market from the small fry mySQL supplies. It has 3 million copies out at places like Alcatel, Cisco, EMC, HP, NEC, Nokia, and Nortel.

The addition of Solid technology to mySQL, the company said, puts mySQL into the enterprise league and makes it a direct threat to Oracle.” (full article available here)

Where is mysql going from here? The purchase of the solidDB storage engine is a direct result of the Oracle buy out of the innoDB storage engine currently being used. Oracle attempted to buy out the mysql database back in February for an undisclosed amount, but were unsuccessful. They are now trying to rid themselves of their competiton by purchasing the developers and the technology behind it. It was only a matter of time before something like this was going to happen. As a company based on an open source product, its biggest asset is its developers. Large companies may not be able to take the company over, but they can purchase the developers behind its main technology. The Mysql corporation now has control over technology that sets them apart from their competition.

Is this better than Innodb? It does support transactions, but it does not support foreign keys (it will, however support them in the future). The following is a list of solidDB features:

* ACID transactions.
* Automatic roll forward recovery after failure.
* Uses optimistic (or pessimistic) multiversion concurrency control.
* Database and log files are binary compatible among different platforms.
* Fully multi-threaded using kernel threads. It uses multiple CPUs/cores if they are available.
* Supports all MySQL SQL data types
* Supports full MySQL syntax
* Isolation levels supported: READ COMMITTED, REPEATABLE READ and SERIALIZABLE
* The MySQL-specific SHOW command can be used to retrieve information
about databases, database engines, tables, and indexes.
* Function names occupy a different name space than table or column names.
* No practical limit on number of tables or columns, or database size.
* The EXPLAIN command can be used to determine how the optimizer resolves
a query. (not yet supported in the prototype)
* Foreign keys and on-line backup will be supported in future product release. They are already supported by solidDB, but the interface between MySQL and solidDB is not yet available for these features.

By Justin Silverton

1) WadgetOS - http://www.theartofennui.com/wadgetos/wadgetos.php

An Ajax- based WebOS. It includes a web-browser, chat client, caclulator, and games (slot machine). I can’t find a lot of info on this, because most of it has since been taken down, but it is still interesting.

Here is an update I received from the co-creator:

i’m the co-creator of wadgetos, thanks for mentioning it. the whole thing was basically a proof of concept, the biggest feature being the ability for anyone to create programs using the powerfull php language. and the info hasn’t been taken down, it’s just not too easy to find
http://www.theartofennui.com/2006/03/20/wadgetos-v1-source/

2) Kiko - http://www.kiko.com/

a) dead simple calendar you can use right in your web browser
b) Universal access: Kiko integrates with your mobile phone and AIM and lets you access your calendar from any computer.
c) Share your calendar: Invite anyone to events (not just other Kiko users!) Let others view your calendar with just a click. Check out the example calendar
As easy as paper - or maybe easier: Write “Pay gas bill every month” onto your calendar and watch Kiko do the Right Thing!

3) time-tracker - http://www.formassembly.com/time-tracker/

Time Tracker is a simple tool to keep track of the time you spend on any task.

4) Del.icio.us Director - http://johnvey.com/features/deliciousdirector/

del.icio.us direc.tor is a prototype for an alternative web-based rich UI for del.icio.us. It leverages the XML and XSL services of modern browsers to deliver a responsive interface for managing user accounts with a large number of records.
The main features are:

A) In-browser handling of del.icio.us bookmarks (tested up to 12,000 records)
B) Find-as-you-type searching of all your bookmarks, with basic search operators
C) Sort by description, tags, or timestamp
D) Ad-hoc tag browser

5) Ajax IM - http://www.unwieldy.net/ajaxim/

ajax im is a browser-based instant messaging client. It uses the XMLHTTPRequest object in JavaScript to send and receive commands to and from the server. No refreshing of the page is ever needed for this “web application” to work, as everything is updated in real-time via JavaScript.

6) Ajax Write - http://www.ajaxwrite.com/

AjaxWrite is a streamlined word processor, comparable to Microsoft Word. To keep the program lean, we left out some obscure advanced features; you’ll find the functions you use most often, right where you’d expect them to be. (We’re still working on the spell checker.) You can import and export documents in all popular formats, including documents with graphics. The save function lets you save your work to a drive on your computer. Also, since you run ajaxWrite from your web browser, it is platform independent and can therefore be used with any operating system.

7) Ajax Sketch - http://www.ajaxsketch.com/

AjaxSketch is basically a pared down version of Illustrator or Inkscape — perfect for creating quick charts and diagrams from scratch. It includes autoshapes, pencil mode, and text for creating the basics. You can also edit by resizing, rotating, changing background or pen color, and altering opacity.

8) Eye Spot - http://eyespot.com/

Use the eyespot Mixer to edit and combine your videos, music and photos online! Share your video and mixes with the world for Free.

9) webezz - http://www.webezz.net/

Build your website using an easy-to-use Ajax Editor.

1o) meebo - http://www21.meebo.com/

Sign into your AIM, MSN, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber, or Y! Messenger account with this ajax based web site.

By Justin Silverton

Back due to popular demand, here is a list of sites that provide free icons that can be used in any application. Anyone may use the list in it’s entirety.

If anyone has any other sites that offer free icons, please let me know and I will add it.

Updated 4/27/06

My goal is to have the largest list of free icon sites on the Internet

http://www.opentux.com.ar/lordcrow/packs/kneu.html
http://moglenstar.net/freeicons/
http://www.bluevertigo.com.ar/bluevertigo.htm
http://www.yellowpipe.com/yis/download/free-icons.php
http://www.zeldman.com/icon.html
http://www.forrestwalter.com/icons/index.html
http://www.silvestre.com.ar
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/18808605/
http://www.graphicpush.com/index.php?s=icons
http://tango-project.org/
http://www.entity.cc/
http://www.famfamfam.com/about/
http://www.fasticon.com/downloads.html
http://strawbee.com/2005/11/06/tiny-little-icons/
http://www.macnn.com/articles/06/04/05/free.icons.flash.fab/
http://e-lusion.com/
http://www.yellowpipe.com/yis/download/free-icons.php
http://icon-king.com/
http://sa-ki.deviantart.com/
http://mattbrett.com/
http://www.iconsdesigns.com/2005/12/17/snowish-first-release/
http://www.iconbuffet.com/
http://www.drweb.de/webgrafik/symbol_sammlungen.shtml
http://www.graphicpush.com/index.php?s=icons
http://www.pixelgirlpresents.com
http://www.iconbazaar.com/
http://www.iconfactory.com/show.asp
http://www.aha-soft.com/iconlibs.htm
http://www.icongalore.com/sales/purchase-and-download.php
http://ndesign-studio.com/resources/pixel_icons.htm
http://www.websiteicons.com/
http://web.thenetter.com/free-icons.html
http://www.brainybetty.com/icons.htm
http://www.aceicons.com/free.html
http://i-cons.tk/
http://www.iheartny.com/icons.html
http://www.glyfx.com/free.html
http://www.sharewareplaza.com/Free-Icon-Gallery-download_24998.html
http://www.iconbulk.com/stockfree.asp
http://www.freewarebox.com/free_762_free-icons-for-winxp-software-download.html
http://www.instantroyaltyfreemusic.com/directory/index.php?c=6
http://www.gold-software.com/xpstyleicons-review19366.htm
http://www.treepad.com/free_icons/
http://www.top20free.com/icons.html
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/downloads
/royalty_free_icons_software/
http://www.obout.com/t2/icons.aspx
http://jeenaparadies.net/webdesign/free-icons
http://www.fileedge.com/get/free-icons/
http://www.clickfire.com/content/graphics/favicons/favicons.php
http://turbomilk.com/freeicons/

Here is a random site in Japanese I found while searching for free icons. Although it contains no icons, it does contain i-candy. Enjoy:

http://www.akikobrand.com/