Some Background:

A long time ago, in a universe far away, I learned SQL. I also learned to write stored procedures, and I got pretty good at it. I was happy, and productive. When the tech meltdown happened, I was still in demand because I could work in the database, in the code and in the user interface. My clients were looking for a one-stop-shop.

In the years since, I have exposed myself to Hibernate, SQL Alchemy, PyTables, Berkeley DB, ZODB, DB4O, Active Record with Ruby on Rails and the Zend_Db part of the Zend Framework. I have not had a chance to work with each of these in depth, but I wanted to keep up with what was happening. I was impressed by each for different reasons, but my response to each technology was marked by a vague resistance. I was put off by having to learn a new way to talk to databases – I saw it as an improved means to an unimproved end.

But, The World of Data Has Changed:

Then I started to realize that the world of data is changing. In one project, I was using web services and a series of objects to exposed data to other developers. In another, I wrote an application that served data as JSON – not all of the data came from a relational database. In another project, I got to play with XQuery and an XML database. In another, I was dealing with GIS metadata, and files that were stored and associated with geographical locations.

Do you want to keep learning how to query and use data sources for the rest of your life? Or, would you rather leverage one skill which you already know? I know SQL. If I could use this skill, in a slightly modified form, to speak to relational databases, object stores, web services and many other data sources, I would be a happy man.

The world of data has changed. This has had the effect of broadening the required skill set we developers need to acquire. LINQ, in both the Java and and the .NET world, would narrow the required skill set. Imagine using the same syntax to talk to databases, objects stores, web services and even the file system. Imagine using LINQ to find books using the Amazon API. Or, imagine using any of a number of Google services using LINQ.

I might like not having to learn new frameworks, or having to understand the specifics of each API. I might want to be relieved of the burden of learning class libraries and interfaces. I would be more productive if I could use the same syntax over and over again.

Manager’s Point of View:

As a manager, I want the the members of my team to be productive. I do not want to burden them with complexity. I also want to be able to know which skill sets to look for when I am hiring. It would help me to know that the person I hired to work with objects that have been persisted using DB4O could use one set of skills to use a web service and talk to a relational database. My life would be easier. My training/learning costs would be lower.

In plain English, LINQ for Java is a good idea. The first question is not how. The first question is why.

I like a nice looking web site, and I especially like well designed web applications. The feedback I get from clients is that my applications are very easy to use. Many people say they look nice.

Having said that, I find that making things look nice is a lot of work. Some aspects of CSS, HTML and JavaScript are fussy. The simplest things can take more time than you would imagine. Especially for me – my strengths are in working with the database, and in designing and writing the backend components.

I often judge companies by their web sites. If a site is not graphically pleasing, or if it is not easy to use, I am likely to be less interested the product’s and services that are offered on the site. However, I am quickly realizing that some people do well by providing usability alone.

Here is an example: the Hwaki site. If there ever was a web page that promised nothing in an age of glitter and glitz, this is the page. Right? It might surprise you to know that this company develops, supports and maintains a product which may be the most widely deployed SQL database in the world.

It would be interesting to find other examples of successful companies that have plain, or even ugly, web sites. It would help us better understand success.