Ran into a mildly perplexing problem while trying to install the mysql2 gem under Ubuntu 11.04 today. As will sometimes happen when Ruby gems require compilation of native binaries to run on your system, there is an unspoken dependency requirement of certain development libraries….

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Say you have a form that someone slapped together some ages ago, and that form has no maxlength attributes on its text input fields. Say also that you don’t have any JavaScript validation of said form wherein those field lengths would be checked upon submit. Say you likewise have no logic in your form processing script with knowledge of the appropriate length at which the storied form input should be curtailed.

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CONCAT in MySQL takes any number of values.

CONCAT in Oracle takes only TWO values.

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