Falcon architect parts ways with MySQL AB

Jim Starkey, the architect of the Falcon database engine, is parting ways with MySQL AB. The Swedish firm took over Starkey's company, Netfrastructure, in 2006. MySQL AB had employed him to work on Falcon, which was released with MySQL version 6. He had worked at DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) on various database projects until 1984. The Interbase database, which he developed later, changed ownership several times. Borland released the source code in 2000 and two years later the Firebird open source database was created. Starkey was not interested in the project, supposedly due to his distaste for open source.

There are a number of data storage engines in MySQL. The oldest one, MyISAM, still lacks support for transactions. Developers have integrated several transaction-capable third party products in the past, including BerkeleyDB, InnoDB and SolidDB. The vendors of the first two were bought out by Oracle, and BerkeleyDB disappeared from the MySQL distribution in 2006. Development of SolidDB appears to have been put on ice since IBM purchased the company late last year.

MySQL is hoping to win more market share among its corporate clients by offering Falcon as its first fully self-developed, transaction capable backend. Developers are optimistic that they can achieve this goal even without Starkey. Posts in the OpenForce blog imply that some of those involved in the project consider the chance of success even better without the éminence grise.

(trk)