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The problem with April Fools in the MySQL/web space…

…is that truth is stranger than fiction. Reality does not appear any more plausible than plain nonsense.

We were discussing this yesterday on #ourdelta (Freenode IRC) in the context of How MySQL really executes a query by Baron. Antony Curtis noted that if he’d write a truthful post on that topic, people would think it was made-up regardless of the day of the year!

Another proof of the premise: Baron has now put a giant banner above/below his post, explaining that it was a joke. Apparently that’s necessary?

I tend to come up with neat ideas for April Fools throughout the year, neglect to write them down, and come the day I have a blank. But, given the above, there’s another option: you just write a truthful story, still leaving people wondering whether it’s for real. I reckon the main issue is probably with the rest of the year, where lots of people still write nonsense, and the truth remains weird as usual. At least on April 1st you know to question. I hope.

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