
Is RethinkDB shutting down? - nodesocket
https://discuss.horizon.io/t/are-rethink-and-horizon-dead-abandoned/619/10
======
nodesocket
First, let me say I am a huge fans of RethinkDB and their entire team. The
quality and beauty of their software is something to be admired.

I've been working on my 3rd startup for a few months and decided to use
RethinkDB with Node.js. If you follow them at all, they are extremely active
on GitHub and Twitter. Then... All the sudden everything stopped. No new
commits. No new tweets. Complete radio silence.

I wish them all the best, and hope they can solve whatever issues they are
dealing with.

------
ceejayoz
The TL;DR:

> It appears Horizon development slowed to a trickle.
> [https://github.com/rethinkdb/horizon/graphs/contributors52](https://github.com/rethinkdb/horizon/graphs/contributors52)
> Are there any updates?

> Slava @ Rethink here. Unfortunately I cannot comment yet (I really wish I
> could), but your intuition is right. We're working hard to be able to give a
> full account ASAP (matter of days). Please stay tuned. ... There is no legal
> action/litigation.

------
Mikael_Lirbank
There have been no commits to any of the branches in 18 days
[https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/branches/all](https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/branches/all)

About the same for Horizon
[https://github.com/rethinkdb/horizon/branches/all](https://github.com/rethinkdb/horizon/branches/all)

The monthly Meetup was cancelled [http://www.meetup.com/RethinkDB-SF-Meetup-
Group/events/23340...](http://www.meetup.com/RethinkDB-SF-Meetup-
Group/events/233402318/)

Pretty much no activity on Github/Discuss/Twitter for two weeks, where they
used to be very active.

------
bhouston
No recent investment since 2013. I would have expected some once you are on
the fundraising path:
[https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/rethinkdb#/entity](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/rethinkdb#/entity)

Could this be an acquisition of some type?

A secret acquisition to be announced with the launch of a newly branded
product to be released by Google, Amazon or Microsoft?

~~~
Mikael_Lirbank
If it's an acquisition, would they really stop all activity and development?
Smells more like they run out of money...

~~~
williamstein
I think this is right (for good reasons I can't repeat).

------
vonklaus
I love rethinkdb. I am about to launch my first ever production thing. Its
built on rethink. Rethink is fucking great, I really have no idea what the
speculation is (or what basis) but I hope for the best.

If we are throwing out radical theories; i'd say acquis/merger with digital
ocean or gitlab. Who knows, but I trust all 3 of those companies.

~~~
lima
Why would either of those be interested?

------
atonse
My guess is that they got acquired by Apple. Mostly because this is how it
happened with FoundationDB from my recollection.

And Apple is the only company I can think of that's secretive enough that
they'd force the team to just completely stop communicating out of the blue.

~~~
rdtsc
Why would Apple need two NoSQL databases? I understand it is probably pocket
change for them, but still. Did they find FoundationDB didn't work for them?

~~~
Rapzid
Why did the NEED the first one in such a way that disappeared it? Apple is
just Apple; too much money to make complete sense. They were getting raked
over the coals for their shite cloud services. How acquiring and sequestering
RethinkDB was a necessity in correcting that situation is anybody's guess...

~~~
rdtsc
Well disappearance is just their way of acquiring companies. They needed a
NoSQL because they have stupid amounts of cash and didn't feel like spending
time doing their own.

But why would they need another NoSQL...

Well anyway, now we know they just ran out of money. They probably tried to so
some last minute thing and so had to keep it quiet.

------
nodesocket
Seems like this got flagged. HN mods any idea why? Was on the front page #5,
then pushed to #48.

~~~
jsnell
Probably because the only thing this says is that there will be more
information in a few days.

~~~
nodesocket
54 points in 30 minutes. Seems people were interested.

~~~
sctb
Interested, no doubt, but it will still be interesting when there's something
material to discuss.

------
faddat
Well, that would suck a lot for my recent projects.

Also, anyone aware of any close-ish equivalents in the realm of open source,
specifically golang?

------
teslan
Yet another open-source scam?

This whole incident is an excellent illustration of how much scam or scam-like
activity is going on within open source. OK, I just read what I wrote and it
hurts to read what I just wrote, so then let me try to explain why I would
inflict so much pain onto myself and likely others.

If RethinkDB ever was an open source project then now there would be no
questions about need for new licensing nor its continuity as an open source
project. All of that would have already been in place. There are too many
"open source" projects [like this] that pretend to be open source but are
first and foremost geared towards making a profit for those that have invested
in it. There is nothing wrong with making a profit and since there has never
been anything like a free lunch, profits must be made because someone must end
up paying for it all.

However, the accompanying commercial business plans must be based on added
service that are on top of a thriving open source community. Those add-on
services must not be replacements for at least basic admin tools nor for poor
documentation, which too often is lacking because of the add-on services. If
those add-on services can not deliver added value, in form of better quality
and/or compressed development timelines because more qualified experts would
be doing the work then there is no add-on value to speak of.

I have been personally struggling (at 55+++) to learn and keep up, navigating
through all of these web development mine fields and a web development toolbox
whose contents are just about totally replaced every year or two.
Nevertheless, even I feel that I could come up with multiple ways in which I
could make a profit, only if these tools would settle down a bit. In fact, are
we all not here because we feel that we can do the same thing? So, how is it
that those who were running RethinkDB as a business, with all that inside info
and those $12 MILLION raised, that they were unable to direct a tiny portion
of all of those resources into ensuring a sustained self-existence?

Take care and shut the lights out behind you.

------
ummjackson
My guess would be closing stages of an acquisition, code audits etc. etc.

~~~
nodesocket
What acquisition makes a company completely stop working on product, cancel
events, and stop social media?

~~~
tptacek
Most of them.

~~~
jasonmccay
Perhaps. My experience (a data point of one) wasn't like that. Why would you
risk team productivity until the deal is signed?

~~~
tptacek
Depends on what you're doing with the team. Going dark is not, for instance, a
strong indicator that they're going to keep the product alive.

------
rajington
A managed RethinkDB/Horizon is exactly what AWS needs to compete with
Firebase... AWS's closest realtime is what, IoT's MQTT?

------
dchuk
Maybe an acquisition is in progress and they're in the a due diligence phase
or something?

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nutanc
Something to do with the Google pixel event?

