Kevin's Weblog

I'm starting to get really sick of the anti-database cult. Another of the new guys asked today why our whole system isn't just one lookup in a giant hash table.

Get off the bandwagon already! Just because Google supposedly doesn't use databases doesn't mean nobody should. If you want to do whatever Google does, go work for Google already!

First off, not everyone has the same system requirements as Google. We don't even have the same requirements as Google. Our primary business is not their primary business, and vice versa.

Second, of course they use databases. It's a good sign of the mindlessness of this cult that when someone claims Google doesn't use databases, and I reply, "You mean they don't use RDBMSs?", they usually come back with "What's an RDBMS?".

Third, while I'm willing to believe they don't use an RDBMS for their algorithmic search, or even for the front-end of AdWords, I simply do not believe that they don't have any back-end systems which are at least morally equivalent to a relational database.

A moment ago, while trying to find the link to this amusing video, I went to search on "really good". Google was not at all helpful, while http://search.yahoo.com happily displayed as result #3, RatherGood.com. Now, if that isn't the search nirvana of finding exactly what you meant, I don't know what is.