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(mysql.info)TODO MySQL 4.0

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Things that should be in 4.0
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We plan to make MySQL Version 4.0 a "quick" release where we only add
some new stuff to enable others to help us with developing new features
into Version 4.1.  The MySQL 4.0 version should only take us about a
month to make after which we want to stabilize it and start working on
Version 4.1.  Version 4.0 should have the following new features:

The news section for 4.0 includes a list of the features we have already
implemented in the 4.0 tree. *Note News-4.0.x::.

   * New table definition file format (`.frm' files) This will enable us
     to not run out of bits when adding more table options.  One will
     still be able to use the old `.frm' file format with 4.0.  All
     newly created tables will, however, use the new format.

     The new file format will enable us to add new column types, more
     options for keys and `FOREIGN KEY' support.

   * `mysqld' as a library.  This will have the same interface as the
     standard MySQL client (with an extra function to just set up
     startup parameters) but will be faster (no TCP/IP or socket
     overhead), smaller and much easier to use for embedded products.

     One will be able to define at link time if one wants to use the
     client/server model or a stand-alone application just by defining
     which library to link with.

     The `mysqld' will support all standard MySQL features and one can
     use it in a threaded client to run different queries in each
     thread.

   * Replication should work with `RAND()' and user variables `@var'.

   * Online backup with very low performance penalty.  The online
     backup will make it easy to add a new replication slave without
     taking down the master.

   * `DELETE FROM table_name' will return the number of deleted rows.
     For fast execution one should use `TRUNCATE table_name'.

   * Allow `DELETE' on `MyISAM' tables to use the record cache.  To do
     this, we need to update the threads record cache when we update
     the `.MYD' file.

   * Better replication.

   * More functions for full-text search.  *Note Fulltext Features to
     Appear in MySQL 4.0::.

   * Character set casts and syntax for handling multiple character
     sets.

   * Allow users to change startup options without taking down the
     server.

   * Help for all commands from the client.

   * Secure connections (with SSL).

   * Extend the optimizer to be able to optimize some `ORDER BY
     key_name DESC' queries.

   * `SHOW COLUMNS FROM table_name' (used by `mysql' client to allow
     expansions of column names) should not open the table, but only the
     definition file. This will require less memory and be much faster.

   * New key cache

   * When using `SET CHARACTER SET' we should translate the whole query
     at once and not only strings. This will enable users to use the
     translated characters in database, table and column names.

   * Add a portable interface over `gethostbyaddr_r()' so that we can
     change `ip_to_hostname()' to not block other threads while doing
     DNS lookups.

   * Add `record_in_range()' method to `MERGE' tables to be able to
     choose the right index when there is many to choose from. We should
     also extend the info interface to get the key distribution for
     each index, of `analyze' is run on all sub tables.

   * `SET SQL_DEFAULT_TABLE_TYPE=[MyISAM | INNODB | BDB | HEAP]'.