NoSQL introduction question

What would you want to learn about NoSQL from an introduction? From a new or novice perspective, what basics would you like to learn about NoSQL and what sort of sample would be helpful?

It wouldn’t be meant to convince anyone, but to educate. Looking for your suggestions.

Rails thoughts again

Yes, I’m still not adding stuff to my list, but I am thinking about how I work. The nosql movement, for me, is about reducing resistance in building applications. Sometimes feels like we are trying to make .Net more like Ruby on Rails. Which makes me wonder if I should be just start using Rails more. I want to solve problems and build things, and not spend so much time fighting tools.

Read this about TekPub moving from ASP.Net to Ruby on Rails. Also read this post from Rob Conery about VIM being very productive.

Addendum: No, I'm not leaving .Net; just opening pondering what better ways there may be.

NoSQL sources

Just thought I’d post a few NoSQL sources given the recent twitter discussion.. I’ll start with the two guys I first read: @RobConery(blog) and @Ayende(blog).

Also, check out

• http://nosql.mypopescu.com/
• Digg on Cassandra
• http://nosql-database.org/
• http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/3294 (found this researching for this post. its interesting because its dated circa 1999)

The nosql-database.org site lists various nosql databases. RavenDB is my favorite right now. One of the big reasons why is because it supports both embedded and server mode. Also, it’s .Net focused and LINQ based.

Getting things done

I’ve been over-doing it lately; which really means I’ve been doing a whole lot while getting very little done. No, no, it’s not affecting my paid work. Clients should not worry. Rather other things. I’ve got too much on my reading list, too many little side projects sitting in unfinished states, and too many other ideas floating around in my head.

I need to get more things done. I’ll start by not adding things to my list, and then finish up the lowest hanging fruit.

I’m crushing on RavenDB right now; there is a lot of promise there. RavenBlog is being built with it but I’m not making the progress I think I could. It’s going to have to wait a little bit while I clear out other distractions.

Going to finish all those books I bought from Manning, and then buy a TekPub subscription. That way Rob Conery can spoon feed new ideas directly into my brain. Should save time and money. (P.S. I still like Manning for tech books)

My NoSQL conversion

When I first heard of the NoSQL movement, I blew it off. Thought it was ridiculous. After all, I’ve worked with RDBMS for a very long time. On top of that, I was still in the midst of integrating two products where one used file based storage and the performance and scaling for it was just horrendous. It just added to my bias.

But I’ve been wrong before. Many times. And expect to be wrong again soon.

The beginning of the path

In the last couple years, I’ve been doing a little mind hacking, as it were. That is challenging my thinking, and tweaking little habits like in which pocket I keep my wallet. The results have been interesting. I’m still no Ayende, no super brainiac coder, but I am getting better.

I decided to start this blog, and therefore had to choose a blog engine. Being hosted on Go Daddy, it has certain constraints to deal with which pretty much led me to choose BlogEngine.Net.  Plus the idea of file storage for entries was intriguing.  I didn’t have to deal with migrating sql database, or even setting one up. No risk of sql injection either. And backups are easy. Then so would be changing hosting if I so chose. It all just started to add up and make sense; and I realized a problem had been nicely solved without and RDBMS. But the lightbulb hadn’t quite turned on yet.

Knee jerks and second thoughts

I didn’t heard about nosql until sometime in the last year or so. Rob Conery get’s credit for that, and at first I thought he was nuts. (OK, yeah Rob I still think you’re crazy – crazy like a fox.) Then I started remembering Ayende posting about db4o and reading mongodb source code.  Stuff like that. So I reconsidered why I always think of an RDBMS when considering a new project.  A large of of it was because I learned a lesson very early in my career, and have held on tightly since then.

Which brings me back to challenging my thoughts. I had already realized, in the case of the blog engine, that storage engines can be effective without being relational. I’ve also run into the classic ORM impedance problem. I’ve run into the fun issues with scaling massive sql databases, and just thought that’s the way it had to be. Then again, maybe not.

Fork in the road

Please don’t get me wrong; I’m more aware than most how capable a sql server can be. Even and specifically MS SQL Server. I am not abandoning sql though; it would be foolish. Especially since most business will still be using mostly sql for some time.

It’s about not setting artificial limits on yourself and your tools. Maybe sql isn’t always the right answer.  How freeing is it to not have to think about schema at all? Persistence just works. You still have to put thought into it, but some headaches go away. Isn’t part of the draw for Ruby on Rails how it makes working with the database easier and less intrusive in actually building the app?  It is for me; and I’m not a guy afraid of doing anything sql.  Trust me, I’ve got street cred with sql.

I just want to solve problems and build stuff.

Yes, there is value in NoSQL and there is a bright future in that area. There is going to be some good work and thought, and there are already thought leaders working in that area. I believe that business will eventually follow in adopting nosql. It may be slow at first, but will grow. There will be fun work for coders like me.  And keep an eye on RavenDB. It’s already a good product and, I think, there is a lot of capability there.

RavenDB goes live

Here’s the announcement from Ayende.  And here is the site.

If you’ve read my other posts, you’re probably aware I’ve been playing a bit with RavenDB in my spare time.  I like it a lot; I just haven’t had time to whip out the sample app I’m cooking up.  Actually, I’m hoping it will be more than just a sample.

meep meep

You’ll either get this or you won’t.  Try looking up beaker on youtube if you don’t get it.

This is what I look like at so-called scrumm meetings (because its not really scrumm)

find the source here: http://wallbase.net/wallpaper/322872

Lately

Lately, I’ve been pulled in multiple directions.  I did some prep work and volunteering for a local .Net event.  Plus billable work.  Plus family stuff.  Plus occasional OSS code, including RavenBlog.  I’m hoping to get some more time for RavenBlog actually.  TimesheetToaster needs work too – thinking of adding jqGrid to handle paging.  I’m gonna try to stop adding to my list of distractions todo list for the rest of this month.  But if you have some topic or idea, contact me here.

Many thanks to many people for Day of .Net

May 10th, 2010 is the annual Day of .Net in Phoenix (Scottsdale actually).  It’s a great event from @AZGroups, organized by @ScottCate.  I just wanted to say thanks to him, and this years speakers:

Scott Guthrie (@ScottGu), Scott Hanselman (@shanselman), Jeff Palermo (@jeffreypalermo)

I also helped put together a short introduction video for Hanselman just for fun.  I had help, and couldn’t have done it without them.  Rob Conery (@robconery), Glenn Block (@gblock), Brad Wilson(@bradwilson), and Scott Densmore(@scottdensmore).  Thank you all!  Especially Rob, without whom it would have not turned out as nicely as it did.  He used his powers of creativity & video editing to turn my steamy dung pile into something nice and funny.  (plug: you can see more of his magical powers at tekpub.com)

Now the bad news.. we weren’t able to get the video into the event.  Just ran out of time.  Very sorry.

Please, Please, Please also check out http://hanselman.com/fightdiabetes

Its just text

This is good enough to link, and read the whole thing.  It’s just text, as in that code is just text.  And sometimes your GUI (aka Visual Studio) is just a crutch getting in the way.