A new storage engine for MySQL: Monty Widenius

The originator of MySQL is introducing a new storage engine, one that takes a classical approach in contrast with the high-performance, high-memory-usage Falcon. The new engine, "Maria" is based on MySQL's original MyISAM engine. What impact do advances in hardware and OS design have on the database? What does Sun's acquisition of MySQL mean for MySQL's performance on Solaris and Linux? And how can you name a software project to help people remember it?