We started out with the intention of using the
mSQL database system to connect to our tables
using our own fast low-level (ISAM) routines. However, after some
testing, we came to the conclusion that mSQL
was not fast enough or flexible enough for our needs. This
resulted in a new SQL interface to our database but with almost
the same API interface as mSQL. This API was
designed to allow third-party code that was written for use with
mSQL to be ported easily for use with MySQL.
The derivation of the name MySQL is not clear. Our base directory
and a large number of our libraries and tools have had the prefix
“my” for well over 10 years. However, co-founder
Monty Widenius's daughter is also named My. Which of the two gave
its name to MySQL is still a mystery, even for us.
The name of the MySQL Dolphin (our logo) is “Sakila,”
which was chosen by the founders of MySQL AB from a huge list of
names suggested by users in our “Name the Dolphin”
contest. The winning name was submitted by Ambrose Twebaze, an
Open Source software developer from Swaziland, Africa. According
to Ambrose, the feminine name Sakila has its roots in SiSwati, the
local language of Swaziland. Sakila is also the name of a town in
Arusha, Tanzania, near Ambrose's country of origin, Uganda.
