Developer Interviews
CodeWalkers interviews the people who create programming languages, contribute to open-source projects, and build software. We ask how they got started, why they made particular decisions, and what other developers can learn from their work.
The series begins with two restored interviews from 2002, with PHP's Zeev Suraski and MySQL's Michael "Monty" Widenius. More interviews with creators and contributors across other programming languages are planned.
Zeev Suraski Interview: PHP and Zend in 2002
Read Zeev Suraski’s 2002 CodeWalkers interview on PHP 5, Zend, debugging, and commercial tools, with historical context and the original reader questions.
February 20, 2026 02Monty Widenius Interview: MySQL in 2002
Read Monty Widenius’s 2002 CodeWalkers interview on MySQL, PHP, open-source licensing, and database development, with his original answers preserved.
January 29, 2026What Do the Developer Interviews Cover?
CodeWalkers' developer interviews cover language design, everyday programming, open-source development, and the business of building software. The first two conversations explore PHP's development and MySQL's origins, tools, and licensing.
For practical examples alongside the interviews, our PHP guide covers writing web applications, and our SQL guide explains how to work with relational databases.
We also plan to interview developers building AI coding tools, vibe coding products, and AI code review tools. We want to hear how they build these tools, where AI helps, and which problems still need a developer's judgment.
How Are the Archived Interviews Presented?
The archived CodeWalkers interviews retain their original questions and answers, including predictions and feature limits from the time. Each restored interview has a separate introduction explaining the historical context. In the two 2002 interviews, references to upcoming releases describe plans from that year, not current features.
We Want to Hear from You
Have a software project or development experience you would like to discuss? Contact CodeWalkers with a short introduction and the topic you have in mind.