This was a truly exciting year for us and the PostgreSQL project and perhaps a bit depressing for MySQL.
The following events happened:
- PostgreSQL 8.4 was released which had blow away features like Common Table Expressions (CTE) , Recursive CTEs, and Windowing Functions. This meant we could finally get some of our hard-core Oracle and SQL server friends really excited about PostgreSQL.
- This is the first year we got out of our shy mode and actually presented at conferences. We presented at PGCon 2009 and OSCON 2009.
- The PostGIS project steering committee was formed with Regina as one of the founding members
- We started writing our PostGIS in Action due out sometime in 2010. Sadly we are a bit behind schedule, but on the bright side, you can buy the book now and it will probably be a bit heftier than the 325 pages we had planned. To celebrate our upcoming book, we have launched our book promo site PostGIS in Action: The Book where the adventure begins. There you will find source code downloads, data, presentations as we put each together. You will also see a brief description of chapters , our progress with each chapter, what you can expect from each chapter, and related links to the chapter content. We are currently at what we hope is our last quarter sprint.
- We wrote a DZone cheatsheet which was confronted with mixed emotions.
- 2009 was also the year Oracle threatened to buy Sun and engulf MySQL in the process. Interestingly this was predictable in someone's wildest dreams. Is this the end of Open source databases as we know it? Only time will tell.
Plans for 2010
What are our plans for 2010?
- Get PostGIS 1.5 out the door some time in January 2010
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We hope in 2010 to present at at least one PGCon conference and hopefully make FOSS4G 2010 in September 2010. Our book better be written by then.
- Finish our book and hopefully soon.
- Increase the adoption of PostgreSQL and PostGIS significantly. To paraphrase our favorite Larry's famous words our strategy is to Get big very fast.
- Get PostGIS 2.0 out the door sometime in late 2010.
What will happen to the database industry in 2010
I usually try to keep my mouth shut on these topics. I must say that I have noticed a bit of animosity from some PostgreSQL people toward the whole MySQL/Oracle affair, comments like He lives by the sword, he should die by the sword. Other interesting conjectures as to what this means for Open Source databases, Is Monty right that the apparent rape of MySQL by Oracle is only bad and will cause countless pain and suffering for many. All I can say is "What..ever".
Some argue that Monty's fight is all about money and some don't that he is earnestly trying to save the world from Oracle. To me its a fight about a man who has spent half his life nurturing this child MySQL named after his own son. Of course he has quite a bit of emotional attachment to it, as many in the PostgreSQL clan have an equal attachment to PostgreSQL and we have an equal non-economic (as well as economic) attachment to PostGIS and PostgreSQL. Equally so I'm sure Larry Ellison has perhaps a stronger attachment to the namesake Oracle database named after a CIA project he spent more than half his life nurturing.
So in short the motives on all side are clear and irrelevant to all except said people with said motives. In the end, what is relevant is what is relevant.