Databases are history

I don't like databases, I never have - they've always seemed like glorified spreadsheets with their own arcane "programming language" if you can call it that. So when I read this eweek article on developing languages for parallel processing the most interesting comment was not about parallel processing at all, it was Gosling's comment on databases.

"the real notion of what will change is databases. I say data structure, not database. Why do you want to use a database? Just use RAM. With the machines we make, you can put half a terabyte of RAM on them. And you don't use databases, you use RAM and things run like the wind."

I always like Gosling, now I've found a whole new level of respect for him. I mean the man really has a point - how much money does even a modest sized business spend on database technology, infrastructure and support these days? Convert even a fraction of that into memory sticks and you get a whopping amount of RAM storage.

I know that is a simplification since you have to keep that memory, and the system running it alive and non-corrupted at all times but such things are really not much harder than keeping a database file system non-corrupted and backed up correctly. Different yes, but harder no.

Therefore thanks to Gosling's comment I'm now looking forward to the year 1 ADB - that's 1 After DataBasess.