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Michael Stonebraker Wins Turing Award
An anonymous reader writes: Michael Stonebraker, an MIT researcher who has revolutionized the field of database management systems and founded multiple successful database companies, has won the Association for Computing Machinery's $1 million A.M. Turing Award, often referred to as "the Nobel Prize of computing." In his previous work at the University of California at Berkeley, Stonebraker developed two of his most influential systems, Ingres and Postgres (PDF), which provide the foundational ideas — and, in many cases, specific source code — that spawned several contemporary database products, including IBM's Informix and EMC's Greenplum. Ingres was one of the first relational databases, which provide a more organized way to store multiple kinds of entities – and which now serve as the industry standard for business storage. Postgres, meanwhile, integrated Ingres' ideas with object-oriented programming, enabling users to natively map objects and their attributes into databases. This new notion of "object-relational" databases could be used to represent and manipulate complex data, like computer-aided design, geospatial data, and time series.
He deserves it. Amazing how many "unknown" people are so important to modern life, since they are usually never talked about.
for a moment there, my brain processed the headline as "Michael Stonebraker passes Turing Test." Given how forgetful my wife claims I am, I then wondered if perhaps I had forgotten a couple of decades, and we were in some sort of future where we couldn't tell the difference between androids and humans anymore.
Then I took my second sip of coffee. I think today might be less productive, yet more entertaining, than I had predicted.
Given that he has driven DB development for several decades, it's surprising this award took this long.
The "Nobel prize of computing"? Jeez, has the author been in a space capsule traveling back from Mars for the past decade? The Nobel prize isn't what it used to be - if it ever was in the first place. It's a damaged, discredited brand, like Paula Deen, Best Buy, or "hands up don't shoot". I'd avoid using the phrase in the future.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...
Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
Before anyone asks here, if someone is as ignorant of the subject as me, check Wikipedia to read about the relation between Postgres and PostgreSQL.
I've started to know him when I was a DBA (long long time ago) on the great Informix Dynamic Server... Informix purchased Illustra Information Technologies, formed by Dr. Stonebraker, and Informix Universal Server was born... Congratulations Dr. Stonebraker!!!
Refering to the Turing Award as the "Nobel Prize of computing" is kinda rude. If they wanted to name the award after Nobel they would have.
Does that mean, nobody can distinguish him from a real human?
He was my freshman advisor at UCB. He's a great guy and very much deserves this award.
Play it cool, play it cool, 50-50 fire and ice.
As an avid user of PostgreSQL, I think he deserves a lot of money.
I am rather amazed that more people are not posting to this. He's an amazing person that helped create some foundation in which we operate today.
if you see me, smile and say hello.
Is that the one developed by AT&T? "A database engine for Unix."
Stonebraker? Stonebraker? Are you sure he's not a geologist? Most geologists consider their research to be groundbreaking you know.
I slay me.
I was actually quite impressed & never heard of the man before (I spent decades in the Information Systems/DataProcessing/MIS realm doing SQL based work on DB engines like SQLServer, Oracle, MySQL, & DB/2 too from PC's to midranges cross-platform using tools like Delphi, C++, VB, & even Access).
* Just so you know I agree with you completely... Makes me wish I had worked with someone like that (SQL has 'tricks' & quicker/faster ways of going about things I found - having someone of THAT calibre around as a mentor can "Grow You" fast - faster than just learning it on your own (not that I didn't have those, I did - great professors & co-workers that "taught me a trick or two" on that very note of that very nature in speed & efficiency)).
(He's an inspiring person, & doing all that he has just doesn't happen everyday + certainly NOT to just everyone/anyone either!)
APK
P.S.=> People of his nature hopefully are "naturals" @ it (I wasn't, & still am not - no 'whizkid' here, I can "get the job done" is how I estimate myself really) but, to get to HIS level? I'd wager, natural or not, he had to bust his tail to do it (& it shows evidently - guys like him, deserve accolades, if not great compensation/pay too)... apk
Wish I had the same opportunity you did (wrote about it here to others) http://developers.slashdot.org... since folks of that calibre can teach you tips/tricks/techniques OTHER sources in profs, co-workers, or even books can't...
APK
P.S.=> You were fortunate to have been graced that way I figure - to get to know one of your heroes personally + hopefully having him make you "better, faster, stronger" too... apk
You've outlined what I suspect replying to onepoint http://developers.slashdot.org... AND womby68 http://developers.slashdot.org... in those posts - that he'd be GREAT @ turning you on to better & faster more efficient methods!
(That's what the 'great ones' in this life do - to them, I imagine, it's like passing out 1 needle in their GIANT haystack of know-how, smiling @ you like a little kid learning a "new thing" in this life - they're inspiring imo: That's their greatest attribute really).
APK
P.S.=> Some of you guys are really lucky & fortunate to have been fortunate enough to have worked alongside "one of the great ones" in your field of endeavor that way when you think about it - you probably got better for it just by interfacing w/ him on the job (I know I have with co-workers & it's part of what I like about the art & science of computing... you can always learn "new tricks")... apk
Postgres is the predecessor of PostgreSQL. Postgres used a different query language when it was still a university project led by Stonebraker. Postgres was the next project after Ingres as the name suggests, and its query language was originally similar...called QUEL instead os SQL or something like that.
Postgres forked into two code bases after the university project ended. Stonebraker started a company called Illustra to sell a commercial version of Postgres. Informix eventually bought Illustra and called it Online Dynamic Server if i recall, and by the time IBM bought informix this sibling of Postgres was the flagship product.
The second fork of postgres was picked up by former students of Stonebraker (initially Joly Chen if i recall and one or two others..too lazy to google for the details). They introduced a SQL parser front end of their own and called the initial release Postgres95 v1.x since it was the fad MSFT started to use years in product names, and also resetting the version number given the changes in features and management (postgres was at version 4.x).
When it came time to release the next major version the name was looking dated and redundant since there was still a release number. So the name became PostgreSQL as it was more meaningful (the primary feature difference being the query language). The version number was then "un-reset" too...postgres95 1.x being considered as 5.x and the first PostgreSQL named release being 6.0.
So yes, postgres isn't the same as postgresql. It is mist accurately described as the father of PostgreSQL and Informix. Architecturally the latter two are essentially the same, but their SQL parsers are unrelated as they were each developed post fork, plus the codebases diverged quite significantly over the past 20 years.
They are both fantastic databases by the way...they wipe the floor with mysql. To say postgreSQL is not web scale are ignorant and probably last used it in the 1990s if at all. It truly kicks butt for full text search, geospatial data for mapping or survey data, astronomy and so on. It is 10+ years ahead of Microsoft SQL server or mysql at that stuff as well as things like multi version concurrency...i was spoiled by PostgreSQL MVCC when i had to contend with rows and tables being locked until transactions wete committed in other RDBMSes.
MySQL has no extensibility, nowhere near the rich set of data types or extensibility, and is not optimised for write heavy ACID transaction stuff. MySQL is great for your CD collection or your blog or whatever, but PostgreSQL is still far superior for accounting/erp/mapping/etc, though i do acknowledge MySQL/MariaDB has gotten "good enough" it is far frpm the best.
And dont start with me on noSQL. Its a great hammer but only some applications are nails, even at "web scale".
Congratulations to Dr Stonebraker. His legacy in the industry is impressive and his work has led to a Free database project that can truly take on the big O on many serious fronts.
See subject: The poster I replied to wondered where everyone was http://developers.slashdot.org... & I suspect they're mostly there (going on 500 posts there) as far as where all the programmers are @ this site's forums today.
APK
P.S.=> This was overshadowed like SystemShock was by Doom I back in 1994 - too bad, both are great like both article posts are... apk
I spent decades doing DB-Driven work & never heard of him: See subject & No, not at all. You're attempting to troll me on weak grounds with troll illogic logic and by your unidentifiable AC posts also so, grow up and do something useful with your life instead (or better yet don't, so I can know you've wasted that life completely and laugh at you over it, ok? That's all your kind deserves or gets in this life, everytime and you do it to yourselves).
"People of his nature hopefully are "naturals" (I wasn't, & still am not - no 'whizkid' here, I can "get the job done" is how I estimate myself really)" - by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 25, 2015 @11:50PM (#49342017)
Who said what I quoted above too? Me, dumbass... see subject: Learn to READ, you moronic little troll!
* I've got humility since I know better - there's ALWAYS someone who's a BIT better, faster, stronger or what-have-you, always - even IF you're considered 'the best', you can have the 1 'off day' & BOOM - others CAN & DO, take you down...
I also know something else about you - trolling by ac, shooting your mouth off, & getting DUSTED for it? Makes ME far, Far, FAR BETTER than online SCUM like you!
APK
P.S.=> One thing I truly *REALLY* enjoy? Shooting the trolls around here to pieces, easily... & on that note? Well, you just KNOW that I've just GOT to say it (as always in my own "inimitable style"):
THIS? This was just "too, Too, TOO EASY - just '2ez'" & it always is vs. the puny TROLLS here on /., lol...
... apk
So recapping:
Michael Stonebraker wins an award.
Many slashdotters gather in this forum, to share experiences of meeting him personally, or using his software.
One poster arrives, claiming never to have heard of Stonebraker,
Or used his software.
Despite having used every other product on the market except Stonebraker's.
And despite decades of claimed experience in the industry.
Who then goes on to declare his "humility".
Since he "knows better".
"far Far FAR BETTER".
Tell me this one poster is OK. On the level. Doesn't need help. For a disorder. A personality disorder.
Tell me the name of the disorder.