MySQL native driver for PHP: mysqlnd-5.0.0-alpha

[Ulf Wendel]

Dear Developers,

we are proud to announce the first alpha version of the MySQL native 
driver for PHP: mysqlnd 5.0.0-alpha. The software is available for 
download on http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/php-mysqlnd

The MySQL native driver for PHP is an additional, alternative way to 
connect from PHP 6 to the MySQL Server 4.1 or newer. It is a replacement 
for libmysql, the MySQL Client Library. From now on you can use 
ext/mysqli either together with libmysql as you did in the past or with 
mysqlnd. The MySQL native driver for PHP requires PHP 6 and can connect 
to MySQL Servers 4.1 or newer.

We have no plans to remove libmysql support from ext/mysqli, which would 
break existing applications. We just add a superior alternative to our 
PHP offerings:

   - The new development is licensed under the terms of the PHP license 
to solve any license issues.

   - On the C-level, mysqlnd uses many of the proven and stable PHP 
internal functions.

   - All the code is contained in the ext/mysqli source directory. There 
is no longer a need to link any external libraries. Thus you neither 
need to install the MySQL client library to compile PHP with MySQL 
Support nor do you need to take care of versions.

   - Compiling has been made easier.

   - The performance of some functions has been improved. We have 
measured considerable performance improvements, for example when 
fetching buffered result sets.


Features and Limitations

This first alpha release is not feature complete. From the API additions 
discussed in November 2006, we managed to implement a first version of:

   - persistent connections
   - mysqli_fetch_all()
   - a first performance statistics call: mysqli_get_cache_stats()

Others will follow. Unfortunately this alpha does not include Prepared 
Statement support. Support for Prepared Statements is our next 
development goal.


Closed and open development

With this alpha release we have laid the foundation for future work. We 
had to implement very technical and, from a user perspective, boring 
things like the MySQL communication protocol. We did this in a rather 
"closed" way. But now that the first functions are visible we have more 
interesting things to share than network protocol functions.

Please contribute to the development on the mailing list 
php@stripped and share your ideas. See http://lists.mysql.com for 
details how to subscribe to the list.

As soon as the driver is feature complete and stable, we will merge it 
into the PHP CVS on http://cvs.php.net.


Getting the software and Installation

Please check the download page on 
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/php-mysqlnd for instructions.

-- 
Ulf Wendel, Connector Project Manager
MySQL GmbH, Radlkoferstr. 2, D-81373 München, www.mysql.com
Geschäftsführer: Hans von Bell, Kaj Arnö - HRB München 162140