Like PostgreSQL, MySQL can be accessed from many different languages, including C, C++, Java and Perl. Using the comprehensive C interface of MySQL, Neil Matthew and Richard Stones show us how to execute SQL statements in MySQL databases in the following sections from Chapter 5 on MySQL from Professional Linux Programming. They will look at both statements that return data, such as INSERT, and those that don't, such as UPDATE and DELETE. They will then write a simple program that retrieves data from the database.

Companies like doubleclick.net have made a lot of money serving banner ads on the Web. The service they provide is great, but why pay for something you can do yourself? In this article, enterprise Java consultants Javid Jamae and Kulvir Bhogal demonstrate how to create rotating banner ads using an all open-source environment: Apache Tomcat, MySQL, and the MM MySQL JDBC driver. First, they'll walk you through the necessary setup in Tomcat and MySQL, and then show you how to install the MM MySQL JDBC driver to allow a Java servlet running in Tomcat to communicate with MySQL.