Use server character set if --default-character-set is not used
Added convert_string() for more efficient alloc+character-set convert of strings

into mashka.mysql.fi:/home/my/mysql-4.1

into eagle.mysql.r18.ru:/home/vva/work/mysql.orig/test/mysql-4.1

into mashka.mysql.fi:/home/my/mysql-4.0

(Mostly code cleanups)

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql-4.0

into gcw.ath.cx:/home/greg/bk/mysql-4.0

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql-4.0

  Code clean-up
sql_union.cc, union.test, union.result:
  A fix for a bug #978.
  This enables that NULL's can be entered into UNION's result set,
  although first SELECT columns are NOT NULL.
  This is also a start of fixing UNION's properly regarding type
  acceptance.
sql_select.cc:
  A commit for my second July SPRINT task

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql-4.0

into oak.local:/home/kostja/mysql/mysql-4.1-count-distinct

aligned with Sergey notes.

into mysql.com:/space/my/mysql-4.0-build

   Unfortunately the returned value of "hostname" is inconsistent on
   various platforms - some return the host name only, others return the
   FQDN by default. On Linux, one can use option "-f" to enable the output
   of the FQDN. Use it, if available.

 - Fixed BUG#959 (libmysqld not being compiled properly)
 - Fixed BUG#998 (RPM build errors): added missing files to the
   distribution (mysql_fix_extensions, mysql_tableinfo, mysqldumpslow,
   mysql_fix_privilege_tables.1), removed "-n" from %install section.

into serg.mylan:/usr/home/serg/Abk/mysql-4.0

CREATE TABLE t1 (s1 CHAR(5) COLLATE latin1_german2_ci);
INSERT INTO t1 VALUES ('Ü');
SELECT FIELD('ue',s1) FROM t1;
The above returned 0 in error.
Now 1 is returned.

CREATE TABLE t1 (s1 CHAR(5) CHARACTER SET latin1 COLLATE latin1_german2_ci);
INSERT INTO t1 VALUES ('Ü');
INSERT INTO t1 VALUES ('ue');
SELECT DISTINCT s1 FROM t1;

The above returned two rows in error.
Now it returns one row, in latin1_german2_ci:  Ü == ue

produced an error. This led to server crash in some cases, e.g.:
create table t7 (s1 char);
select * from t7
where concat(s1 collate latin1_general_ci,s1 collate latin1_swedish_ci)
= 'AA';

- Bug #985: "Between RESET SLAVE and START SLAVE, SHOW SLAVE STATUS is wrong."
Now RESET SLAVE puts correct info in mi->host etc. A new test rpl_reset_slave
for that.
- Bug #986: "CHANGE MASTER & START SLAVE do not reset error columns in SHOW
SLAVE STATUS". Now these reset the errors.

into bar.mysql.r18.ru:/usr/home/bar/mysql-4.1