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# MySQL Conference: what’s in a name?

MySQL mysqlconf Opinions April 27, 2009December 15, 2009

This is just something that I realized this morning. There were some talks about how the “MySQL Users Conference & Expo” was renamed to “MySQL Conference & Expo” – thereby omitting the “Users” part. The talk was something like “So where are we, the users, in this story?”

But what I’ve just recalled was a discussion (was it previous year, or the one before that?) comparing the “PostgreSQL Conference” and the “MySQL Users Conference”, as it was named back then. In that discussion, the PostgreSQL people were bashing MySQL, saying that the “PostgreSQL Conference” was all about the database and whatever was around it, whilst the “MySQL Users Conference” clearly stated that the attendees were “just users”, not like real participants or members.

As I recall, it was a heat debate (and I apologize for not linking). I thought it was just semantics.

Anyway, here we are at 2009, there is no “Users”, it’s just like in PostgreSQL, and I still think it’s just semantics.

I think a name can mean whatever you want it to mean. It’s best to judge by actions, which is an altogether different thing.

I do not hold a position this way or the other.

This concludes my postings with regard to the MySQL (Users?) Conference & Expo 2009, which were non-technical. I’ll keep to technical stuff in the future, I promise. I enjoyed the conference very much, a big applaude to the presenters and the organizers, and to the many friendly people who attended!

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Eric Bergen

I call it the “MySQL Circus & Expo”. I’m fully expecting to see Billy Mays pushing MySQL Enterprise next year.

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Suzanne Axtell

Hi Shlomi,

Thanks for your post. It’s interesting and good to know that people are still discussing the name.

The motivation behind the change (2007 was the first “MySQL Conference & Expo”) was to–hopefully–convey the idea that while people who use MySQL are at the core of the conference, it’s also very inclusive of the whole MySQL ecosystem.

Also, congrats on winning the community member award!

Suzanne, O’Reilly Conferences team

Author
shlomi

Suzanne,

Thank you

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