I know that UCDB has been very quiet lately, but we have actually been making progress. The problem is that I am currently teaching myself PHP and web development (or, more appropriately, reteaching myself) and the result is a lot of redesigning and things progress as I figure out better ways to do things. The good news is that we have made a bunch of progress and we hope to have an alpha version of the site up (with a basic lens database) in the next week or two.
As a word of warning, UCDB will require a login for editing the database. We originally did not want to use a login because it’d be a pain to code, but we found a good basis for login scripts at http://php-login-script.com/. So, to view the database no login will be required but to edit the database you will need to log in. This will avoid database pollution and give UCDB a method to provide site customization down the road. For instance, if you have a Nikon camera, why should Canon lenses show up in your searches by default?
The login is simple, relatively secure (though no SSL at this moment), and keyed off e-mail addresses. UCDB will never send unsolicited e-mail or sell (or give) your information to any third party. Please register with your full name and use an appropriate password (we at UCDB cannot look at your password).
We’ll keep you posted on the alpha release!