[debian-mysql] Meeting minutes (Re: Online meeting on MySQL/MariaDB packaging in Debian)

[Stewart Smith]

Otto Kekäläinen <otto at fsfe.org> writes:
> 2. Discussion on current team challenges
>
> SpampaS and periapt have lately worked hard to ship security updates
> to latest Debian while under release freeze. Oracle isn't transparent
> enough and thus forces packagers to do extra work to follow changes,
> security fixes etc. SpampaS expressed confidence that MariaDB doesn't
> have the problems that exist with the Oracle version as it has more
> transparency than MySQL (patches, bug/security fixes).

How much of this is just for MariaDB found/fixed holes as opposed to
ones found/fixed by Oracle?

(not being dismissive of the MariaDB work, but going through and
associated patches with bugs and test cases is a *lot* of work).

> Ryeng (Oracle affiliation) has proposed helping out as much on the
> Debian MySQL package.

I really welcome this, since back in the days when I worked for MySQL AB
I wished we had more involvement.

> The issue of replacing MySQL with MariaDB was discussed.
>
> Conclusions:
> - There will probably still be a user base for MySQL Oracle due to
> technical and sentimental reasons.
> - Debian, the universal operating system, should ship as much packages
> as we have resouces.
> . Ryeng assured Oracle will help keep MySQL packaged.
> - MariaDB does not exist in Debian yet, too early to discuss dropping
> MySQL anyway.
> - Priority for the time being is getting MariaDB into Debian.
> - If the team grows and there are more packagers, we could also
> include Percona, Galera, Cluster, Drizzle etc. But we cannot decide to
> have more resources, only wait and see.

Percona has an active interest in not only helping package Percona
Server for Debian, but ensuring that all MySQL variants have compatible
and largely common packaging (let's not duplicate work after all).

I'd also note that we should consider Drizzle to be a seperate database
rather than one in the MySQL variants family.

> AP: periapt will e-mail Otto information about the MySQL git-version
> and prototypes of "continuous integration" tools.

FWIW I don't see upstream MySQL variants switching to git from BZR for
at least 12-24 months - possibly with Oracle being the last to switch.

-- 
Stewart Smith
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