Started as a quick hack in 2000, SQLite has grown to become the most widely used and deployed database engine in the world. SQLite is now an essential component of all mobile phones, most computers, and countless other everyday devices. This talk, by the original creator and lead maintainer of SQLite, describes how SQLite got started and how it differs from most other database engines, both in interface and in implementation. The talk includes an overview of the architecture of SQLite, discussion on reasons why SQLite is so popular, heterodox opinions on the efficacy of certain trendy database technologies, and speculation on what databases might look like in decades hence.

About the speaker: Dr. D. Richard Hipp (MSEE Georgia Tech, PhD Duke University) is an independent software developer, entrepreneur, and non-conformist programmer best known as the creator of the SQLite database engine and the Fossil version control system. Dr. Hipp is the founder of Hwaci, a small North Carolina based company providing software development services for an international clientele. Dr. Hipp spends most of his time writing code, and occasionally collaborating with a small team of other coders who are continuously improving the SQLite and Fossil open-source software projects.