Why MySQL?

I understand you guys are using MySQL as the main dbms for SL. While I think it's a GREAT and cost-effective solution for low- to medium service systems, it seems to be woefully inadequate for the use it's being put to now - unless I'm misinformed? (I did speak to a Linden inworld previously, and he confirmed it to me). It perhaps served you great in the test days, but now that you've gone large-scale with it and are charging for use, it is perhaps time to move to a higher performance system? I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the lag problems are directly related. I really see great potential for SL and am a huge advocate of the idea/project - but it would be nice to see certain core issues addressed that can go a lot further in improving the performance of the system and the user experience inworld.

Or...if I am wrong, can you please explain to me (and a number of other network engineers) exactly where I'm wrong?

Thanks...just a question that's been bugging me for a while, and would like an authoritative answer to.

The short answer is you'll never get an authoritative answer.

The longer answer is that available, real, huge, db systems exist they just don't use em. I think that either:

1. LL has no knowledge that mainframes still exist because nothing else handles the transaction and concurrency that allows - for example - worldwide airline ticket reservations to work.
   
2. LL thinks there isn't much of a problem.
   

or both. Kinda surprising that now that IBM has made a foray into this world that a salesman hasn't come ringing.

Just a note, LL has said before that MySQL isn't ALL they use. They've mentioned that they use an Isilon cluster for the main data storage for textures/scripts/etc.

To paraphrase a famous early Unix article....

To the many critics of Linden Lab design decisions, I suggest you build your own virtual world architecture.

I think if we're paying for something, and it breaks often, we have a right to be constructively critical and to ask for explainations of what appear to be problem areas.

I suggest...never mind...I don't want this to get into a flame session; I just want to understand what's up with this aspect of SL's infrastructure. It's important to me as someone who does plan to be here for to the long-haul and as more than just casual entertainment. If my understanding is wrong, it would be helpful to me (and, I expect others) to know that. If not, then it would be good to understand the "why". People are being asked to "pay to play" and others are considering serious investments in time and money. We have a right, I think, to ask and get an explaination.

It's not mindless bitching, as you imply, and I personally would rather NOT see a dozen other similar environments created - I would like to see THIS one succeed, and I would like to know that MY plans w/rgds to staying and developing in SL are not likely to be torpedoed for reasons related to this issue and beyond my ken or control, or that I'll be forced - after much effort and expense - to recreate what we're trying to do elsewhere.