IBM Db2: 35 Years Young

It is hard to believe that IBM Db2 is 35 years old this year, but it's true! 

DB2 was announced on June 7, 1983, and Version 1 Release 1 became generally available on Tuesday, April 2, 1985. I wonder if it was ready on April 1st but not released because of April Fool’s Day? And I use the capital B for DB2 in this context becase that is what it was called back then (and for most of its 35 years of existence).

If you were around back then you will remember that the initial focus was on getting the basics of making a relational DBMS to work. Early releases of Db2 were viewed by many as an “information center” DBMS, not for production work, like IMS was. For you younger folks, the term "information center" basically referred to internal IT systems and the like.

I worked with Db2 way back in its Version 1 days, and I’ve enjoyed watching Db2 "grow up" over its first three and a half decades. Over the years, Db2 has grown into the high performance, efficient, transactional engine that powers mission critical applications for much of the Fortune 500. Now I doubt I have another 35 years in me, but I look forward to continuing to work with Db2 as it continues to take on more capabilities and functionality... like AI and machine learning... I mean, have you seen what the new AI optimizer can do?

So with any luck I'll be here writing about Db2's 40th anniversary... and beyond. Hope you'll join me!