[debian-mysql] Bug#438970: UTF8 default charcterset for mysql-server package

[Cristóbal Palmer]

Hi,

Cristóbal with ibiblio.org here. We recently handed off DocSouth
(http://docsouth.unc.edu/) from our servers to UNC libraries'. Because
of such changes and growth, we've been repeatedly exposed to encoding
problems such as the one the original reporter describes. UNC Library
systems has managed to make the transition to UTF8 *enforced* across
the board for their mysql, which for them (on RHEL) has involved
maintaining their own package. So UTF8 in mysql is something we're
rather familiar with, and something we'd LOVE to see by default from
debian.

If I can be of assistance in testing, I'd be happy to spin up another
VM to do so. It's definitely worth my time since it will significantly
reduce headaches moving forward.

Last night I built mysql from the debian source package under
etch. That and a change to the /etc/init.d/mysql script got me this
status; output:

mysql  Ver 14.12 Distrib 5.0.32, for pc-linux-gnu (i686) using  EditLine
wrapper

Connection id:          10
Current database:
Current user:           root at localhost
SSL:                    Not in use
Current pager:          stdout
Using outfile:          ''
Using delimiter:        ;
Server version:         5.0.32-Debian_7etch3-log Debian etch distribution
Protocol version:       10
Connection:             Localhost via UNIX socket
Server characterset:    utf8
Db     characterset:    utf8
Client characterset:    utf8
Conn.  characterset:    utf8
UNIX socket:            /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
Uptime:                 7 min 39 sec

Threads: 1  Questions: 164  Slow queries: 0  Opens: 154  Flush tables: 1
 Open t ables: 36  Queries per second avg: 0.357

So again, please let me know how I can help with this transition. I'm
not an experienced packager, but I'm happy to test or dive in and
learn whatever is needed for me to be up to speed with helping on
this in any capacity that would be appreciated.

Cheers,
-- 
Cristóbal Palmer
ibiblio.org systems administrator