Help Me Update the History of SQL Server

re: Help Me Update the History of SQL Server

Gianluca — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:59:28 GMT

7.0 code name was Sphinx. I don't have a photo of the boxes, but I have one with Tony Rogerson in front of a Sphinx poster taken at a summit in 1998 :)

re: Help Me Update the History of SQL Server

Peter — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:24:09 GMT

Here's another link that might be useful

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/euanga/archive/2006/01/19/514479.aspx

And here's some pictures of the old boxes (with signatures of the devs on them)

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/euanga/archive/2006/05/23/597677.aspx

re: Help Me Update the History of SQL Server

KKline — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 00:39:51 GMT

Gianluca and Peter, thanks so much for adding to the conversation!

I hear that Kalen also wrote extensively about the history of SQL Server in her "Inside SQL Server" books. I'll have to look that up as well.

-Kev

re: Help Me Update the History of SQL Server

Roy Harvey — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:41:34 GMT

Late to the party, but...

I think it is worth pointing out that the "support for Windows 3.0" in release 1.1 was strictly on the client end. SQL Server itself ran strictly on IBM's LanMan OS. They offered a package deal with LanMan and SQL Server bundled together; that's what I started with.

re: Help Me Update the History of SQL Server

KKline — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:55:00 GMT

Hi Roy, You and Kalen were the very first MVP types I remember following closely on ... wait for it ... CompuServe. Remember that? Any time I think of CompuServe, I always remember the whine and squeal of the dial-up connection processes. ^_^

Great insight! I appreciate you adding your two cents!

-Kev

re: Help Me Update the History of SQL Server

SQL Lover — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:20:12 GMT

Not much is written about the development of Sql Server 1.0 or the pre-Soukup releases. Although Sybase coded the Server itself - Microsoft coded the installer, SAF and added to some of the core stored procedures.

Bob Muglia was hired on as Microsoft's first Sql Server fulltime employee, as Program Manager. He came from IBM where he did not fit in very well. Bob's first, and perhaps last, code that he wrote for Microsoft was SQL Server 1.0's installer.

Next, Greg Crafts was hired from Systems Development Corporation (later bought by Raytheon). Initially in charge of SQL Server testing, he later created a team of developers. SQL Server 1.0 shipped with his code in the form of the system procedure SP_HELPSQL for online SQL syntax and help.

Greg then went on a Test and Developer hiring spree:

Craig Henry, developer, was hired to develop SAF, the 'character based windowed front end" that was used to administer SQL Server. This same, in house windowing, system was used in the early Lan Manager days as an easy/portable terminal input/output system. However, it was not portable to Kanji and the Japanese developers were not happy when this system was used.

Jack Love, Developer and Tester.

Trish Millines, Developer and Tester. Little known fact, Sql Server 1.x was shipped with a bug that could corrupt the database. It's cause was never discovered. It could have been an OS/2 issue, a networking (LanMan) issue, or a Sql server issue. Trish worked tirelessly trying to come up with a scenario which would recreate the corruption - but could never find one. She just knew after the fact...when the database was corrupt. Management decided to ship (Adrian King?) dispite this issue - which seemed to be the right decision as no corruption issues were reported from the field.

Mike Erwin, developer.

There were others, many contractors, but that was the core dev/test team back in 'ancient Sql Server days'. I hope this helps.