Multiple Discoveries: The Case of Prolly Trees
2025-07-01
Prolly trees, a novel data structure crucial to Dolt, weren't invented once, but at least four times independently. From Avery Pennarun's 2009 bup project (which predates even Noms), to Noms' 2015 coining of the term, to Inria's 2019 'Merkle Search Trees,' and DePaul University's 2020 'Content-Defined Merkle Trees,' the same fundamental data structure emerged repeatedly in different contexts. This highlights the common phenomenon of multiple discovery in science and underscores the role of demand in technological innovation. The authors, from DoltHub, discuss this phenomenon and its implications for future technology, using their own experience with prolly trees as a case study.
Development
Multiple Discovery