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MySQL (4th Edition) (Developer's Library)/by PaulDuBois (Author)

The unexpected pleasure of reading books aboutdatabases is thatthey are often written by authors with highly organized minds. PaulDuBois and his editors at New Riders have assembled MySQL with aclarity and lucidity that inspires confidence in the subject matter: a(nearly) freely redistributable SQL-interpreting database client/serverprimarily geared for Unix systems but maintained for Windows platformsas well.

What isn't "free" about MySQL (the application) is itsserver'scommercial use; all clients and noncommercial server use are free.DuBois's tome isn't free either, but its list price is modest in lightof its value and the value of its namesake.

The volume is superbly organized into 12 chapters and10appendices and contains a concise table of contents and a comprehensive50-page index. It is peppered with references to the online HTMLdocumentation that comes with the source and binary distributions(which are available and easy to install in stable rpm and tarreleases.)

The first third of MySQL is an excellent instructiontool fordatabase newbies; the second third is a detailed reference for MySQLdevelopers; and the last third consists of clearly annotatedappendices, including C, Perl (but not Python), and PHP interfaces.

Perhaps as an indication of the collective will of thedevelopersof MySQL, DuBois does not separate Windows 95/98/NT design ordevelopment specifics from its main discussions. Platform-independentdesign is a goal, not a reality, and users will have to rely onnewsgroups and mailing lists for details. Moreover, security issues areaddressed in a mere 18 pages, a large part of which is devoted tostandard Unix file and network-access permissions. Next to nothing ismentioned about defense against common hacking strategies, the use ofsecure shell interfaces, or access encryption.

Although it is nearly 800 pages in length, DuBois'sbook isthankfully not encyclopedic. It is a valuable prйcis of the MySQLdatabase, and its easy-to-skim look and feel will make it an excellentbrowse for database experts who want to know what is and is notpossible within MySQL, the application. --Peter Leopold --This textrefers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.