I’ve been telling to people that we need async MySQL client API. The fact that you have to block while database box is thinking (doesn’t happen too often, but still..) is holding back some nice response-time oriented coding practices.
Developers of various proxies (not to be named :) admit that the major inspiration was adding features to proxies was easier for them, than getting into main MySQL (where the way minor enhancements are treated leads to pure stagnation — my opinion).
And now I realized there’s an easy way out, how to make client libraries more async. Simply, don’t use mysql protocol – talk HTTP, thats what dbslayer provides. Then application-level can use cURL, PEAR libraries or other ways to access it – often with way better parallelization or non-blocking capabilities.
Now, add more HTTP capabilities to the mix – stateful connections, pipelining, and benefits of protocol designed to serve the Web, not just talk to single server – start showing up.
Or of course, one could implement pipelining, parallel query and async capabilities to MySQL client libraries… Maybe afterwards MySQL server itself will start supporting query multiplexing in the protocol. But for now it is job for clients. Oh, and proxies.
domas mituzas 