[mythtv-users] Database encodings

[Glenn Sommer]

Aha!


You're right... I had my versionnumbers mixed all up :P

Now it's starting to make more sense to me! So we're actually moving away
from the brokeness, and not towards it.

Though, I still wonderif it will be possible to use UTF8 (assuming it's done
for all: "Server characterset, Db     characterset, Client characterset and
Conn.  characterset") ?


2009/3/30 Michael T. Dean <mtdean at thirdcontact.com>

> On 03/30/2009 04:08 AM, Glenn Sommer wrote:
>
>> I saw at http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Fixing_Corrupt_Database_Encoding that
>> mythtv 0.22 can only handle latin1 connections to the MySQL database - but
>> uses UTF8 internally (Actually it writes UTF8 into the database).
>>
>
> You've got your versions wrong.
>
> MythTV 0.21-fixes and below use UTF-8.  MythTV 0.21-fixes and below stores
> UTF-8 in the database.  MythTV 0.21-fixes and below tells MySQL that the
> text columns are actually latin1.  MythTV 0.21-fixes and below does /not/
> use latin1.
>
> MythTV trunk use UTF-8.  MythTV trunk stores UTF-8 in the database.  MythTV
> trunk tells MySQL that the text columns are actually UTF-8.  MythTV trunk
> does /not/ use latin1.
>
> In other words, the /only/ difference is that MythTV 0.21-fixes and below
> doesn't tell MySQL what encoding is actually in use.
>
>  I don't understand why MythTV doesn't use UTF8 all the way - so no
>> encoding/decoding is required when talking to the database?
>> Also, putting UTF8 text in a latin1 database is in my opinion wrong...
>>
>
> It does.  It used to store UTF-8 data in MySQL without /allowing/ MySQL to
> know that the data inside was UTF-8 to reduce the size of the database
> columns and indices significantly for a database where MySQL knows the data
> is UTF-8 if most of the data is actually latin1 (as it is for a /large/
> number of users).  And, MythTV had to wait until MySQL had sufficient
> support for sufficiently-long columns and indices, and we've only recently
> started /requiring/ versions of MySQL that do.
>
>  Other clients will be unable to read the data correctly (like phpMyAdmin
>> for example).
>>
>
> Well, the /only/ client that should be using MythTV database is really
> MythTV or other clients designed for use with MythTV (and, therefore, aware
> of the encoding).  And, that being said, if you knew what you were doing,
> you could actually make it work rather easily even in "other" clients that
> didn't realize what was going on.
>
>  In my opinion latin1 text is for latin1 databases - and UTF8 text is for
>> UTF8 databases...
>>
>> Surely I must be missing something here?
>>
>
> Yes.  You're missing an understanding of what that page actually said.  :)
>
>  What is the reason for breaking the database - instead of fixing MythTV?
>>
>
> Again, re-read that page.  We're simply telling people who have completely
> broken data (because they had configurations where they told MySQL to ignore
> the database schema's defined charset, so MySQL did character-set
> conversions it should /not/ have done) that they cannot successfully upgrade
> their databases until they fix the data.
>
> Mike
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