today's leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jul 17, 2024

• Jim Grey ☛ Lessons learned in 35 years of making software

  Never be invisible. When I was still testing software for my supper, I’d just quietly work all day and then go home. I’m going to toot my own horn a little: I was fast and good at finding the most critical bugs. Nobody could touch me. But, critically, nobody in leadership knew it. When I wanted to move up, I had a hard time showing that I was ready. I needed to make sure my work was visible, so that leaders could see what I was capable of.

• Databases

  • The Register UK ☛ MySQL 9 underwhelms some DB experts in the community

    MySQL was originally developed by David Axmark and Michael Widenius, with the first release dating back to 1995. The founding Swedish company, MySQL AB, was bought by Sun Microsystems in 2008, while Sun was itself subsumed by Oracle in 2009. Immediately after that takeover, Michael – or "Monty" – Widenius forked MySQL to launch MariaDB, hiring a group of the MySQL development team at the same time. MariaDB has since been publishing its MySQL iteration, particularly as a managed service DBaaS.

• BSD

  • FreeBSD ☛ Navigating FreeBSD’s New Quarterly and Biennial Release Schedule

    FreeBSD users, prepare for a smoother, more predictable system management experience! We’re excited to announce changes to the FreeBSD release schedule and support periods. These updates will improve your overall experience, enhance system security, and streamline maintenance.

    Key changes:

    1. Predictable and More Frequent Release Schedule: Expect a new minor release approximately every quarter. This means more frequent updates and a steady stream of improvements.

    2. Shorter Support Periods: Starting with FreeBSD 15.x, stable branches will now be supported for four years after the .0 release, reduced from the previous five-year period.