I remember a time when a webpage was a cool thing to make. Back when HTML was king and Google wasn’t in the dictionary. Databases didn’t really exist yet…or so I thought. I had a family member ask me if I knew anything about Foxpro in regards to an employment opportunity. Naturally I said I knew a little bit about it and that I could probably get the hang of it in no time flat. Three days later it was a distant memory.
Recently I changed my website over to a WordPress blog format just to see if I could. It involved a few touchy steps but all in all was a no brainer. Getting the pictures working was another story. Just like that I had a database dependent website without the slightest knowledge of how complex the system behind it was. Like that’s never happened before! There are knobs and whistles all over this thing that I’d like to say I know about…but I just don’t.
So recently I’ve been messing around with MySQL and I’ve started to take notice of how many things/sites are database dependent these days. It’s SCARY!!! Just about every retailer from the grocery store to the junkyard use databases to maintain inventory and pricing. Not to mention the manufacturing world couldn’t live without them for MRP/ERP purposes. Then I found that most every website I’ve been to over the past few days (including mine) is driven by a database system.
SO SCARY!!! How is it that all this time I’ve known about these beasts and I haven’t fiddled with them? It would seem that I’ve officially slacked off. I suppose that with the self teaching of the Linux operating system and attempting to start a business and trying to learn the ridiculous realm of mastery known as sales probably has a bit to do with it. But seriously…how did I miss this? Perhaps more importantly what’s next?