Adam Howitt's Blog

Ugly MySQL tools for Mac AKA I hate Navicat

At : 2:06 PM | Link | SQL, PC to Mac | Comments (18) | Send | 1274 Views |

Seriously. Why should I be handicapped for trying to write SQL on a mac client? I've tried Navicat and hate it with a passion. For an OS that prides itself on pretty interfaces the tools for working with databases I've seen are all really ugly. MySQLYog for PC ain't no oil painting either but it embodies the important pieces of a SQL tool. Here's what I want - if anyone has any tips on tools, paid or free - I don't care:

1. Connection and object browser on the left. Drill down into tables to see column names, indexes, foreign keys, triggers. Navicat inconveniently makes you right click on the table name to view any of these details. When I'm writing a query I don't want to have to open a new tab to show an ugly list of table columns I can't refer to while I'm writing code without switching tabs.

2. SQL Editor windows with a split results pane that doesn't vanish if I edit one piece of a query. Navicat hides the SQL results if you change a query. Seeing sample data as I work on a query REALLY helps, especially since Navicat won't simultaneously show column specs (ref earlier point).

3. Edit stored procedure or views like I just wrote them. In every other SQL client I've used I right click a view or stored procedure to see the SQL stored in the database, preferably formatted. Navicat presents views as one long string of unformatted text and for stored procedures it offers an edit window for the inner section of the procedure but hides the implicit create statement and/or drop statement.

4. Right click ANY object to see a SQL script representing the object.

Is this too much to ask? I've tried running SQLyog in a VM but hate hogging so much memory to run a SQL client, not to mention the fact I routinely have issues authenticating my VM and host machine simultaneously on Starbucks' wi-fi.

4 hours to the unthinkable

At : 3:27 PM | Link | PC to Mac | Comments (21) | Send | 1725 Views |

I'm finally caving in and buying a mac 4 hours from now. It won't be a clean switch I know, even running bootcamp or parallels. How do I know? I ran Ubuntu linux for 2 years and came back to Windows for the sheer range of business apps targeting Windows only.

I'm moving to mac to support my iPhone development projects more easily since Mr Jobs hasn't made it possible to develop for the iPhone yet on anything else. I also don't want to be the only guy in the "I'm a PC" t-shirt at Apple's worldwide developer conference next month.

I'm prepared for ramp up but there are things I'm going to miss. If you see some app here you have converted from in your move to a Mac, let me know.

• Beyond Compare: Singularly the most useful FTP program I've ever seen. I've tried many, many more and none have the ease of use. Fire it up, select a left side and a right side to compare and hit go. It compares single files on your PC, PC to FTP, FTP to FTP and many other configurations. It can handle folder comparisons and file comparisons. It highlights files that have changed (based on your definition of what a change is) then double click the file to see the changes and push changes line by line if need be or wholesale. This comes up often when working on client sites where someone else isn't used to working in a team. In this situation I pull in the client's changes to my machine, test my changes still work then push up a merged version. Of course some will say software can't fix a process, but it's not practical to turn around a client's development team on a dime so this is a good interim.
• Google Chrome. I know it's coming but so is Christmas, doesn't make my transition to a mac any easier. Incognito windows are the solution to one of the biggest problems for developers - opening mulitple sessions to the same site with different user accounts and sessions. For example, all of Google's tools using a unified login don't play well if you open a new window and login to another tool with a different login. It typically affects every session you have open. Chrome's incognito lets me keep Google Analytics open in one window then login to Google AdWords MCC account with the incognito window and neither window is affected by the other. Brilliant.
• Assorted others I haven't looked into (that may have a Mac version) include SQLYog, SQL Server Management Studio, Picasa, Flex Builder, SonicWall VPN, Microsoft Office and Google AdWords Editor.