I've been an Oracle database architect for almost 20 years.

His whole concept of "SQL doesn't scale" is the typical crap I always hear from people that are either not database experts, are using the wrong database technologies, or don't know what they're doing. More than likely a combination of all three.

And just because you can create an object model, and a simplistic data model, does not make you an architect of large, scalable database systems.

I have, over the past 4 years alone, built Oracle-based, fully scalable databases that handle over 25 million users daily.

Go read up on their RAC architecture, and the "shared everything" implementation.

Sure, it's expensive, but it works great.

For instance, if you play sports games from the world's largest video game corporation, all of your online transactions (achievements, etc) go through exactly such a system that I spent a year architecting and implementing.

If you do any online banking in Canada, or with some of the larger banks in the US, that, too, is on my resume.

I find that this type of FUD comes about from people that aren't good at designing and implementing large databases, or can't afford the technology that can pull it off, so they slam the technology rather than accept that they, themselves, are the ones lacking.

Most of them tend to come from the typical LAMP/SlashDot crowd that only have experience with the minor technologies.

Those of us that do it for a living, using the right technologies, seem to have no problems whatsoever scaling SQL.

Just saying.

You're asking a group of strangers whether it's okay to leave your girlfriend. That tells me that you should place your priority on your startup.

He is asking a group of people who have a greater-than average chance to have been in a similar situation in the past. Benefiting from the experience of others seems like a wise thing to do.

If you take "hours spent doing something" as your yardstick, your girlfriend seems to your lowest priority (behind your startup and French lessons). Before you ask whether you should choose between your girlfriend or your startup, maybe you should choose between your girlfriend and your French lessons.

This is pure fantasy and not at all representative of the real world problems and considerations that go into making a working relationship.

The same couple that "just knows" they are great for each other during great times will be unsure if circumstances outside of their control lead to more difficult times. Doubt is a natural and healthy response when conflicting responsibilities clash in life, and should not be interpreted as some sort of signal that there is no "magic" or that it isn't "destiny".

I met this guy in 2004.

He talked about himself for 20 or 30 minutes before I got a word in.

He had a couple of ideas at the time, some about charitable giving, and others were about fighting spam with the technique of charging strangers to receive their email. (This is such an oft-repeated idea it's listed in the "You Might Be An Anti-Spam Kook" page). I told him that there were a few things wrong with his approach, and he clapped his hand on my shoulder and said that he could just get someone else to do this.

Overall I felt a bit sorry for him. He was a pretty interesting guy who had great talents and great ambitions. He wasn't limited by a lack of confidence. Unfortunately he has had a lot of early validation that he was a genius, and such overconfidence can be just as crippling.

> No, I don't take this claim seriously. Not enough to write a response.

Uhhh, isn't the post his response? Just saying.