Dana Nourie's Blog

Sun Writers Cover the 2008 JavaOne Conference

Sun writers have begun covering the 2008 JavaOne Conference. Get information on Java University, CommunityOne, the latest technologies, views on technical sessions and Birds-of-a-Feather (BOF) talks, and special interviews with attendees and evangelists.

2008 JavaOne Conference Blogs

Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed so you can read all of the entries as they appear. Dana Nourie

An Introduction to BLOB Streaming for MySQL Project

Speaker, Paul McCullagh
Blobstreaming.org

This session explained why BLOB streaming may be relevant to your project, and how you can get started streaming BLOBs.

For ordinary types of data, MySQL sends the buffer from the client to the server. Streaming involves making a connection from the source to the destination continuously, storing and streaming simultaneously. But BLOBs are not ordinary data.

BLOBs were invented by Jim Starkey. A BLOB is backronym for Basic Large Object, or Binary Large Object, and is a collection of binary data stored as a single entity in a database management system. Blobs are typically images, audio, or other multimedia objects, though sometimes binary executable code is stored as a BLOB. Database support for BLOBs is not universal.

The problem of storing BLOBs in a database is multifaceted. BLOBs create big rows in memory, and sequential scans are not possible. The database can become too big to handle, and then the database won't scale well. In addition, BLOBs slows down replication, and BLOB data must be written to the binary log.

So, why put BLOBs in the database? So that BLOB operations are transactional and have valid references, and so you have the data all in one place, which is good for testing, Small BLOBs are handled better by databases, and it's convenient to handle all your data the same way. Additionally, with BLOBs in a database, your backups are more consistent. Lastly, putting the BLOBs in a database makes replication possible.

To overcome these issues, the MySQL Project streams BLOB data directly in and out of the database.You can store Blobs of any size in the database, and create a scalable back-end that can handle any throughput and storage requirement. The object is to provide an open system that can be used by all engines.

The Scalable BLOB Streaming Project solves the above problems with a BLOB repository, so a collection of BLOBs are stored outisde of database rows, and the references are stored in the table. The advantages of this is that it allows for incremental backup, automatic defragmentation and compastion, and repository blob data that will not be written to the binary log and can be scaled out.

The goal of the Scalable BLOB Streaming Project for MySQL is to provide a scalable, stream-based, infrastructure for the storage and retrieval of pictures, films, MP3 files, and other binary and text objects (BLOBs) to and from the database.

The first step has been taken with the creation of the BLOB Streaming engine for MySQL, a storage engine that allows BLOB data to be uploaded and downloaded directly to and from a MySQL table, using the standard HTTP protocol. Read the rest of this blog

MySQL Conference Keynote & Workbench

I'm writing the blogs about the MySQL Conference at http://blogs.sun.com/mysqlconf/ because of some technical issues. This morning I added two blogs: The MySQL Workbench: http://blogs.sun.com/mysqlconf/entry/the_mysql_workbench and The World with Free Software: http://blogs.sun.com/mysqlconf/entry/the_world_with_free_software Dana Nourie

MySQL Conference

The MySQL Conference & Expo in Santa Clara, CA starts this week, and I am looking forward to the sessions. Today was tutorial day, but my day officially begins Tuesday morning and will go until Thursday.

I started using the MySQL database about nine years ago when I was creating web sites. Most web service providers used MySQL for their customers, and they still do. MySQL was popular then, and it's even more so now. Along with it's popularity, its list of features and robustness has grown over the years.

I was excited when I heard the announcement of the acquisition by Sun Microsystems. Immediately, I downloaded MySQL onto my system, and begin working with MySQL in the NetBeans IDE. It was an easy integration, and I am having a great time developing web apps that use this database.

This week I am looking forward to the many sessions I'll be attending. It was hard to choose sessions for certain times, as so many of them sound really good. I'll blog about as many of those sessions that I can, and share the juicy details with all of you who are unable to attend, or may be at the conference but in a different session.

Tomorrow morning are the keynotes, and then we are off to the technical goodies:

The Lost Art of the Self Join --- I'm looking forward to a refresher on on joins, and getting some nice concrete technical advice.

Best Practices for Database Administrators -- This sounds like it's going to be nice solid information.

Talk = Ruby + MySql.new(bie): An Introduction to Using MySQL with Ruby -- I'm most familiar with using Ruby with NetBeans, so it'll be interested to get the details and skinny on MySQL and Ruby.

If you'd like to see more information on the conference itself, check out their web site. MySQL Conference & Expo

~ Dana Nourie, Staff Writer, Sun Microsystems

SDN Chat: Meet the Writers of java.sun.com

SDN Chat: Meet the Writers of java.sun.com
Please join us in Sun's Developer Playground in Second Life on Thursday, February 14 at 10am PST to meet the writers of java.sun.com. SMI Press is offering attendees one of three new SMI Press books for free!

New to Java Programming Center Redesign

The New to Java Programming Center has recently been redesigned to accommodate more articles and tutorials, community information, and has been organized so the information you need is easy to find.

If you are new to the Java platform, you can use the New to Java Programming Center to get your computer set up with the Java platform, learn the syntax of the Java programming language, and learn how to develop applications for desktops, the web, or mobile devices.

The information listed and linked to the New to Java Programming Center is free. In addition, it lists links to Sun courses and certification training that you can buy.

New Certification Courses

Developers have been asking frequently lately if we have any new certification courses out, and I am happy to say that we do. See below:

Sun Certified Programmer for the Java Platform, Standard Edition 6-- The Sun Certified Programmer for Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 certification exam is for programmers experienced using the Java programming language. Achieving this certification provides clear evidence that a programmer understands the basic syntax and structure of the Java programming language and can create Java technology applications that run on server and desktop systems using Java SE 6.

Sun Certified Programmer for the Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 Upgrade Exam (CX-310-066)-- The Sun Certified Programmer for Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 certification exam is for programmers experienced using the Java programming language. Achieving this certification provides evidence that a programmer understands the basic syntax and structure of the Java programming language and can create Java technology applications that run on server and desktop systems using Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 Sun strongly recommends that all new candidates interested in becoming a Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) take this new version of the certification exam, rather than a previous version. In this way, candidates can demonstrate that they are knowledgeable in the latest technology. Sun also recommends that those certified on a previous version of SCJP update their credentials by taking the SCJP 6 Upgrade exam.

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Sun Microsystems Developer Playground
Join Dana Nourie December 18th, Tues 9 AM PST and 7 PM PST, in Second Life at the Sun Microsystems Developer Playground to discover how easy it is to learn the Java platform through web programming. Watch a demo and have your questions answered.

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Mark Your Calendars!

Java Technology Fundamentals Second Life Chat

The Java Fundamentals chat within Second Life was a Huge success! We had about 25 attendees, and everyone was enthusiastic with their questions. We had a great discussion. In case you missed it, I've posted it below with minor editing. Additionally, at the end is the information from the Note card that the attendees received. Here in this blog format, we cannot share the free virtual T-shirts that attendees also received.

You can also attend this same chat in Second Life Dec 5, Wed at 7PM, PST. Please join us to ask any questions you have about where and how you can learn the Java platform through Sun's resources: Sun Developer Playground

Handwriting Recognition with Java Technology

I thought it was a little odd that only twenty something people sat with in a room that normally could seat over 100. I had thought many others would be interested in this topic. Apparently I was wrong.

I was excited to learn more about this topic, to discover what packages and clases are needed to write applications that work with writing devices, but this session fell flat on my expectations.

The speaker Yu-Hong Wang, from Maplesoft, spoke well and explained a few concepts in detail. He described the Hidden Markove Model and the Viterbi Algorithm, but Java technology barely came into the picture.

Perhaps there is not a lot to say on this topic. If that's the case, we didn't need a session on it. I don't feel like I learned anything, except to use a mouse listener for these types of application.

The session only lasted 30 minutes instead of the alloted 60 minutes, and the demo was simply the speaker drawing on a PC Mouse tablet.

In all, it was a disappointment.

Dana

Picking up the pace!

The pace has really picked up here at JavaOne. Streams of people going and coming from the rooms, the Pavillion is milling with crowds, but overall everything seems to be running smoothly.

Yesterday was interesting, starting off with the General Session, which hosted a live band, and lots of announcements. The main one was when Rick Green took the stage, and Johnnathon asked, "So when is Sun going to open source Java?" Rick looked rather uncomfortable, made a few jokes, and then replied seriously that "It's not a matter of when but how." Hmmm.

I had anticipated a lot of problems with the new Schedule Builder this year. John Gage, the opening speaker at the General Session, gave a lot of detail to the importance of using this new tool and why. But I noticed we were moving the session rooms quickly as we passed our Java cards over the scaners. I've only noticed a few people getting taken to the side because they were not registered, or their registration had not been properly logged.

The sessions are good. The speakers this year seem relaxed and articulate, and slides are filled with sample code, which is what developers want to see.

The session I went to on improving Swing productivity was good, though I think it would have equally made a really nice article in JavaWorld or some such.

San Francisco weather has caught up with us. The lovely sunny, warm air has given way to a thick, cold marine layer of fog. I can't see the bay out there this morning, and the Oakland hills that I could see from my hotel room yesterday is but a bit of memory in the light of day this morning.

Now, I'll eat then head back over to Moscone to mingle with the rest.

Have a wonderful day! Dana

Java University

The Java University course Exploring the Struts Framework and How it Supports Web Component Development was really outstanding. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, as this area of JavaOne was new to me. I was pleasantly surprised.

The area surrounding the rooms was crowded when I arrived, and more and more people arrived during my half an hour wait. I wondered how they were going to accomodate so many people. But the individual rooms were large, holding up to 140 people each, and the one I was in was nearly full.

The instructor obviously knew his stuff, and the topic of web components and struts was covered in great detail. I don't think anyone left the place without having a good understanding of the J2EE architecture, the components available, how they fit together, and how Struts simplify the process. In addition, the book that was provided had all the slides content, including the sample code.

I highly recommend Java University to all. It clarified a lot for me, and for those who know little about J2EE, it would be a wonderful introduction. Seasoned pros would also get a lot out of it, especially for the Q&A sessions during the class.

Tomorrow I'll be going to the first General Session! Dana

Opening day at JavaOne!

Hello!

I'm up early this morning, and San Francisco is holding promise of another beautiful, unusally warm day. It's clear with scattered clouds, and lots of blue sky. Yesterday hit a whopping 89 degrees, almost unheard of in this part of California. It was a welcome treat. Many of us, however, brought only a few short sleeve shirt. But the Moscone Center is sure to have a very comfortable controlled environment so I'm not concerned, and I'll be surprised if this weather holds out.

This morning I'm heading off to Java University. It'll be my first time attending one of these all day courses, and I'm very much looking forward to it. This year the course offerings cover Java EE technologies:

Implementing Business Logic Using Enterprise JavaBeans Architecture for the Java EE Platform
How Java EE Patterns Help in Architecting and Designing Robust Java EE Applications
Using JAX-RPC to Enable Java EE Platform Applications to Interoperate With Applications That Are Not Java Technology-Based in a Secure Web Services Framework
Exploring the Struts Framework and How it Supports Web Component Development

I'm going to write an article for the Java Today paper, so you might check it out if you're here at the conference. Otherwise, stay tuned and I'll let you know how it goes in a blog later today.

Welcome to all of you who made it here to SF this year, and stay posted for those of you at home. The java.sun.com will be hosting articles on sessions here at JavaOne, and many of us are blogging the events.

Have a wonderful day!

Dana Nourie, java.sun.com staff writer

Getting Ready for the JavaOne Conference 2006

Hi Everyone,

The java.sun.com staff are gearing up to cover the JavaOne conference this year. We are attending some of the sessions and writing articles and blogs to cover the event. It looks like it's going to be a great year.

We have already we have put together Top 10 articles to point out some sessions we thought would be useful to you, and we have arranged them by theme. Here are a few:

Tools: Top 10 Destinations at the 2006 JavaOne Conference

Top 10 Java SE Destinations at the 2006 JavaOne Conference

Top 10 Destinations for Enterprise Developers at the 2006 JavaOne Conference

We hope to meet you there. If you can't make the conference this year be sure to watch the java.sun.com web site for coverage, as well as blogs.sun.com for blogging coverage.

java.sun.com

2006 JavaOne Conference Web Site

We're having delightful weather here in California, sunny, warm, with just a perfect breeze. But remember San Francisco tends to be windy and cool, sometimes downright foggy and cold, even in summer. So dress in layers. See you soon!

Dana Nourie,
Staff Writer for java.sun.com