MySQL, the open source database firm, is to receive Microsoft marketing support along with Visual Studio technical integration. The company has paid $3,000 to become a member of Microsoft"s Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) program in a move that will help cement the database"s use on Windows. MySQL joins more than 240 other ISVs also working with Microsoft. MySQL says 40 per cent of its downloads are for Windows, and VSIP membership will provide greater integration between the database and Microsoft"s development environment. Using a plug-in, developers will be able to build forms and objects inside Visual Studio with Microsoft languages lsuch as C# and Visual Basic, browse data and records, and perform basic data management.
VSIP also gives MySQL access to co-marketing opportunities, which include the right to sport the "Optimized for Microsoft Visual Studio" logo on product boxes and its website, eligibility for inclusion in partner promotions at Microsoft developer events, and the ability to participate in VSIP developer labs.