fevangelou · XhmikosR · Feb 17, 2026
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -2,23 +2,25 @@
 
 A powerful MySQL and MariaDB monitoring tool for the command line, **mytop** displays real-time database server performance information similar to `top`.
 
-
 ## Current Version
+
 **v2.0** - released on Feb 3rd, 2026
 
 ---
 
 ## I know mytop - just show me how to install it
 
-1. Clone the repo, make mytop executable and copy it into /usr/local/sbin/
-```bash
-cd ~/; git clone https://github.com/fevangelou/mytop.git; cd mytop; chmod +x mytop; cp -f mytop /usr/local/sbin/
-```
+1. Clone the repo, make mytop executable and copy it into `/usr/local/sbin/`
+
+  ```bash
+  cd ~/; git clone https://github.com/fevangelou/mytop.git; cd mytop; chmod +x mytop; cp -f mytop /usr/local/sbin/
+  ```
 
 2. Run anywhere (the defaults work just fine on Debian 11+, Ubuntu 22.04+ and RHEL distros v7 or newer)
-```bash
-mytop
-```
+
+  ```bash
+  mytop
+  ```
 
 ---
 
@@ -32,50 +34,56 @@ It is not a half-baked todo-when-I-get-the-time fork.
 
 As a day & night sysadmin, I use mytop... daily. Or at least, I did. My gradual switch to Ubuntu Server 24.04 left me with Innotop, which simply does not work right (especially when it comes to explaining queries - plus it never "clicked" as you had to configure it just for the basics you get from mytop out of the box - go figure). As such, forking mytop was the only sensible thing to do. And as long as I'm active as a sysadmin (17+ years already), I'll keep it updated.
 
-Yes, it has been "vibe coded" with the help of Anthropic's Claude (Perl was never my domain), but I have tested it extensively and since it's a daily tool for me, I'm gonna keep on maintaining it, as well as examine a possible rewrite to amother language.
+Yes, it has been "vibe coded" with the help of Anthropic's Claude (Perl was never my domain), but I have tested it extensively and since it's a daily tool for me, I'm gonna keep on maintaining it, as well as examine a possible rewrite to another language.
 
 Sincere thanks to Jeremy D. Zawodny (original author) & Mark Grennan (updated it for MySQL 5.x).
 
 *P.S. Whoever said AI is killing open source is wrong. Needs and ways have just shifted. Embrace the new tooling.*
 
-
 ## WHAT'S NEW
 
 ### MySQL 8.0 & MariaDB 10.3 (or newer) compatibility fixes
 
 #### Query Cache Removal
+
 - MySQL 8.0 completely removed the query cache feature
 - Added intelligent detection that checks for `have_query_cache` variable
 - Falls back to checking `Qcache_hits` status variable for older versions
 - Safely defaults to disabled for MySQL 8.0 or newer
 
 #### Safe Status Variables
+
 - All `Qcache_*` status variable references now use null coalescing
 - Prevents undefined variable warnings when query cache doesn't exist
 - Cache hit ratio calculations won't crash on MySQL 8+
 
 #### Enhanced EXPLAIN
+
 - Wrapped EXPLAIN execution in eval block for proper error handling
 - Catches non-explainable queries (DDL, some admin commands)
 - Added support for new `filtered` column in MySQL 8+ EXPLAIN output
 - Dynamic column detection for future MySQL versions
 
 #### System Compatibility
+
 - Fixed `/proc/loadavg` reading for non-Linux systems
 - Added proper error handling with fallback to empty string
 
 ### User Experience Improvements
 
 #### Dependency Checking
+
 - Automatic detection of missing Perl modules (DBI, DBD::mysql, Term::ReadKey)
 - Provides exact installation commands based on your distribution
 
 #### Better Defaults
+
 - Default database changed from `test` to `mysql`
 - Refresh delay reduced from 5 seconds to 1 second
 - Idle thread display threshold set to 2
 
 #### Code Quality
+
 - Fixed all Perl syntax warnings
 - Renamed conflicting variables to avoid masking
 - Fixed operator typo (`=>` to `>=` in cache ratio comparison)
@@ -90,21 +98,25 @@ Sincere thanks to Jeremy D. Zawodny (original author) & Mark Grennan (updated it
 mytop requires the following Perl modules:
 
 #### On Debian 11+ or Ubuntu 22.04+
+
 ```bash
 sudo apt install libdbi-perl libdbd-mysql-perl libterm-readkey-perl
 ```
 
 #### On RHEL distros (v7 or newer)
+
 ```bash
 sudo yum install perl-DBI perl-DBD-MySQL perl-TermReadKey
 ```
+
 or
 
 ```bash
 sudo dnf install perl-DBI perl-DBD-MySQL perl-TermReadKey
 ```
 
 #### Via CPAN (for the purists)
+
 ```bash
 cpan DBI DBD::mysql Term::ReadKey
 ```
@@ -114,7 +126,6 @@ cpan DBI DBD::mysql Term::ReadKey
 No need to run `make` and `make install` as with previous versions - mytop is a standalone Perl script:
 
 ```bash
-
 # 1. Clone the repo, make mytop executable and copy it into /usr/local/sbin/
 cd ~/; git clone https://github.com/fevangelou/mytop.git; cd mytop; chmod +x mytop; cp -f mytop /usr/local/sbin/
 
@@ -124,6 +135,7 @@ mytop
 ```
 
 #### Hint: If you have an older mytop version already installed on your system and you wanna use this new version in parallel, just name it mytop2 when moving it, e.g.:
+
 ```bash
 cd ~/; git clone https://github.com/fevangelou/mytop.git; cd mytop; chmod +x mytop; cp -f mytop /usr/local/sbin/mytop2
 ```
@@ -274,6 +286,7 @@ mytop --batch
 *This changelog provides a historical record of all previous versions.*
 
 ### Version 2.0 - February 3rd, 2026
+
 MySQL 8.0 & MariaDB 10.3 or newer compatibility patches
 
 - Fixed query cache detection for MySQL 8.0+ (query cache was removed)
@@ -290,6 +303,7 @@ MySQL 8.0 & MariaDB 10.3 or newer compatibility patches
 - Fixed all Perl syntax warnings and code quality issues
 
 This version is fully compatible with:
+
 - MySQL 5.x (with query cache)
 - MySQL 8.0+ (without query cache)
 - MariaDB 10.3+
@@ -298,6 +312,7 @@ This version is fully compatible with:
 Version 2.0 was based off v1.91 from Mark Grennan.
 
 ### Version 1.9.1 - February 14, 2012 (Mark Grennan)
+
 - Added display of system load level on the top line
 - Added Readonly state and Delay to the replication line
 - Added monitoring of Slave status
@@ -307,6 +322,7 @@ Version 2.0 was based off v1.91 from Mark Grennan.
 - New command 'M' to change [mode] to status show changes
 
 ### Version 1.8 - May 21, 2010 (Mark Grennan)
+
 - Added fixes for changes in MySQL 5.1 and 64-bit systems
 - Completed TODO - "make 'C' toggle display color"
 - New command 'S' command: Highlights slow queries less than 'S' seconds (default: 10 seconds)
@@ -316,9 +332,11 @@ Version 2.0 was based off v1.91 from Mark Grennan.
 - Fixed documentation errors
 
 ### Version 1.6 - February 16, 2007
+
 - Added support for passwords with embedded spaces (patch from Jeffrey Friedl)
 
 ### Version 1.4 - August 3, 2003
+
 - Used junk query filter from Steven Roussey
 - Added -prompt option so password doesn't need to be on command-line or in script (patches from jon r. luini and Sean Leach)
 - Added -resolve support to convert IPs to hostnames in thread view (patch from Yogish Baliga)
@@ -331,6 +349,7 @@ Version 2.0 was based off v1.91 from Mark Grennan.
 - Various other cleanup and fixes
 
 ### Version 1.3 - April 17, 2003
+
 - Added "c" command to switch between thread view and "command summary" view
 - Command summary pulls Com_* values from SHOW STATUS
 - Fixed various bugs
@@ -340,15 +359,18 @@ Version 2.0 was based off v1.91 from Mark Grennan.
 - Use Com_select rather than Questions to calculate Qcache ratio (only SELECT queries are cache candidates)
 
 ### Version 1.2 - October 27, 2002
+
 - Better handle MySQL server going offline (shouldn't die with illegal division by zero errors)
 - Make Host column large enough to handle IP addresses (suggestion from Jeremy Tinley)
 - Added query cache stats
 
 ### Version 1.1 - Not Released
+
 - Updated option handling so both --pass and --password work (suggested by Paul DuBois)
 - Noted that OS X is supported
 
 ### Version 1.0 - April 27, 2002
+
 - Fixed cases when trying to remove domain name from display even if it's an IP address
 - Fixed formatting bugs and "use of uninitialized value" errors
 - Adjusted column widths and headings
@@ -359,34 +381,41 @@ Version 2.0 was based off v1.91 from Mark Grennan.
 - Changed "Query Info" column to "Query or State"
 - Real-time queries/sec computed using Time::HiRes if available
 - Added 'e' key to EXPLAIN a query
-- Moved website to http://jeremy.zawodny.com/mysql/mytop/
+- Moved website to <http://jeremy.zawodny.com/mysql/mytop/>
 - Created mailing list
 
 ### Version 0.9
+
 - Set $0 to 'mytop' to make it easier to spot
 - Included README in distribution
 
 ### Version 0.8
+
 - Added "Queries Per Second" (qps) mode - press 'm' key
 - Distributed as a true Perl package with Makefile.PL
 - Can be installed via CPAN shell
 
 ### Version 0.7
+
 - Basic support for Windows (screen clearing doesn't work)
 
 ### Version 0.6
+
 - Minor code cleanup
 
 ### Version 0.5
+
 - Fixed some field widths to handle larger values
 
 ### Version 0.4
+
 - Added -P command-line argument (to specify port number)
 - Fixes for better output on small terminals
 - Added 'i' hotkey to toggle display of Idle (sleeping) threads
 - Other minor updates
 
 ### Version 0.3
+
 - Updated documentation to reflect command-line arguments
 - Added support for long and short command-line arguments
 - Optional color support via Term::ANSIColor
@@ -401,6 +430,7 @@ Version 2.0 was based off v1.91 from Mark Grennan.
 - Added more specific error messages from DBI on connect failure
 
 ### Version 0.2
+
 - Added support for non-standard port numbers
 
 ---
@@ -416,9 +446,9 @@ GNU General Public License
 ### Core Contributors
 
 - **Jeremy D. Zawodny** - Original author and maintainer (2000-2009)
-  - http://jeremy.zawodny.com/mysql/mytop/
+  - <http://jeremy.zawodny.com/mysql/mytop/>
 - **Mark Grennan** - MySQL 5.x updates and enhancements (2010-2012)
-  - https://www.mysqlfanboy.com/mytop-3/
+  - <https://www.mysqlfanboy.com/mytop-3/>
 - **Fotis Evangelou (vibe coded with Claude)** - Updated to support MySQL 8.0 & MariaDB 10.3 or newer releases (2026+)
 
 ---