Please tell us about yourself, and where you are from.

I was born in Qingdao, China, and have lived in Vancouver, Canada since 2013. I am a PostgreSQL developer and open-source contributor, best known as the founder of Hornetlabs Technology and the IvorySQL project. I am also actively involved in the global PostgreSQL community, serving with the PostgreSQL China Association and PostgresConf.

How do you spend your free time? What are your hobbies?

I love spending time with family and friends, enjoying activities like having beer, barbecuing, and chatting. I also enjoy going to the gym, playing badminton, sea fishing, skiing, hiking, and camping. I have three children, a big golden retriever, and a cat. During the summer, I spend a lot of time attending my son’s baseball games.

Any exercises you do regularly?

I go to the gym 4-5 times a week and play badminton every week.

Any Social Media channels of yours we should be aware of?

• Linkedin
• Facebook

Last book you read? Or a book you want to recommend to readers?

I like the book Distant Saviour (Chinese Edition), which is a novel written by Doudou.

I find myself in strong agreement with many of the protagonist Ding’s views. These include the emphasis on “seeking truth from facts”, making decisions based on rational analysis without emotional bias, and the critique and analysis of certain traditional Chinese beliefs. Additionally, I appreciate the commentary on Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

Favorite movie, or show?

I really enjoy Stephen Chow’s movies. From “A Chinese Odyssey” to “Kung Fu Hustle”, his films blend humor with poignant reflections on the bittersweet realities of human nature.

Best music, best song?

I enjoy peaceful environments where I can read, drink tea, and have conversations. Soft, gentle music suits me well, such as “River Flows in You,” “Affection Touching Across Time,” and “One Summer’s Day.”

Best food?

My favorite dish is Xi’an’s oil-splashed noodles. I once tasted them at Xi’an Famous Foods in New York, and the flavor was very authentic. Of course, I live in Vancouver, which has some of the best Asian cuisine in the world, including my beloved oil-splashed noodles.

Best drink? Non-alcoholic or alcoholic?

I don’t have a preference, I drink very little, and I get drunk after one or two bottles of beer. But wait, I’m from Qingdao, where there is Tsingtao beer, which contains the genes of German beer brewing, and most people in that city can drink a lot of beer, but not me.

When did you start using PostgreSQL, and why?

I began working with Oracle databases in 2000 while at Lucent. Oracle’s powerful and stable nature made it the preferred choice for many telecommunications systems, allowing me to gain a solid understanding of database theory and application. My experience with PostgreSQL dates back to 2013, from that period until today, I have been participating in many community meetings and have undertaken an in-depth study of PostgreSQL.

Do you remember which version of PostgreSQL you started with?

Yes, it was PostgreSQL 9.3. This was the first version I started with. To be frank, it wasn’t as powerful at the time, lacking many features such as replication and sharding. It wasn’t quite capable of replacing Oracle back then. However, I must say, the code is beautiful, or rather, elegant.

On which PostgreSQL-related projects are you currently working?

I am leading the open source IvorySQL project, which adds Oracle-compatible features on top of vanilla PostgreSQL.

EDB has a mature Oracle compatibility layer in its advanced server, although it is closed source. IvorySQL is still in its very early stages, and we are eager to have more interested contributors join us to help improve it.

Any contributions to PostgreSQL which do not involve writing code?

I began to actively participate in the PostgreSQL community since 2013. This includes organizing my team to contribute code, conducting code reviews and testing, translating documentation, and organizing conferences. We also co-hosted the PGCONF.Asia conference with the Japanese community, and I also participated in the PostgresConf conference and acted as the Asian Liaison, and have been involved in organizing the Chinese PostgreSQL conference for many years with the China PostgreSQL association.

I call myself the link between the international community and China. I hope there will be more Chinese contributors and more practical contributions to PG. Learning from others, like the Japanese community, is a good approach. I must say that Japanese contributors have done amazing work in PostgreSQL. We will work with them on these matters and maybe introduce several training sessions.

What is the feature you like most in the latest PostgreSQL version?

I love the Bi-directional Replication (BDR) feature in PostgreSQL 16. It makes our replication work much more extendable and versatile.

Do you use any git best practices, which makes working with PostgreSQL easier?

I must say that git is an essential skill for developers, especially those working on complex projects like PostgreSQL. Understanding git thoroughly helps in mastering PostgreSQL kernel modifications, and makes daily development tasks much more efficient.

Which PostgreSQL conferences do you visit? Do you submit talks?

I regularly attend PGConf.NYC, PostgresConf Silicon Valley, PGCONF.ASIA, PostgresConf.CN, PGCon in Ottawa, and recently PGConf.dev and PGConf.Eu.

I submit talks for these conferences, not many. I have presented on topics such as the PostgreSQL ecosystem in Asia and the IvorySQL project at the Postgres Conference and PGCON.

Do you think PostgreSQL has a high entry barrier?

I think so. Following the email chains can be challenging for newcomers to understand the culture of PostgreSQL. Additionally, receiving tough replies in the community can be discouraging and hurtful.

Do you think PostgreSQL will be here for many years in the future?

I do believe so. As Bruce Momjian said, PostgreSQL is a world database. I think it represents the future of open source databases.

Are you reading the -hackers mailinglist? Any other list?

Yes, I regularly read the -hackers mailing list. I also follow the -general, -translators, -announce, and -jobs lists. Additionally, we have a large number of PostgreSQL community members in a WeChat group where we communicate in Mandarin.

What other places do you hang out?

I hang out in the “People, Postgres, Data” community on Discord and also on postgresteam.slack.com Slack.

Which other Open Source projects are you involved or interested in?

I am leading the IvorySQL project, which is a PostgreSQL database with Oracle-compatible features. I welcome everyone to join us and help make it more usable.

Anything else you like to add?

It is still very challenging for new contributors to submit code. The mailing list is very effective, but it is not an advanced issue tracking and discussion system, nor does it handle corresponding code submissions well. The community has been discussing this for a long time. I hope that this aspect can be improved, or that corresponding tools for issue tracking, code management, and DevOps can be introduced in the future.