Because column names aren't backticked by default, using any mysql reserved name for the columns can end in an error like this one:
-- change_column(:my_configs, :key, :string, {:limit=>32, :null=>false})
rake aborted!
Mysql::Error: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'key key varchar(32) NOT NULL' at line 1: ALTER TABLE my_configs CHANGE key key varchar(32) NOT NULL
I patched mysql_adapter.rb so that it now has backticks surrounding the column names in the methods for handling columns. Now I can run migrations using mysql's reserved words as column names.
