[nycbug-talk] Sun Acquires MySQL

[George Rosamond]

Bob Ippolito wrote:
> On Jan 16, 2008 9:34 PM, Francisco Reyes <lists at stringsutils.com> wrote:
>> George Rosamond writes:
>>
>>> http://blogs.mysql.com/kaj/sun-acquires-mysql.html/
>>
>>> What does the acquisition of MySQL by Sun mean for MySQL users?
>>> Given Sun's proven track record as the largest contributor to Open Source,
>> Maybe my job doesn't give me time to read as many news as I used to... but
>> has Sun really contributed that much to open sourse?
>>
>> Digging around I see: OpenOffice, OpenSolaris and open Java
>> http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=1889
> 
> Well there's OpenSolaris, or at least parts of it such as ZFS and
> dtrace. They've also put out press releases about PostgreSQL, though I
> don't know what their actual contribution was... probably just Solaris
> related hardware and performance work. Java is a big deal, though it
> would've been a lot better for everyone had they opened it a couple
> years ago.

There's been lots on this on the NYPHP talk list.

I need to read the Sun site a bit more thoroughly about their licensing, 
particularly with OpenSolaris, before I'd call it open source though. 
Most references note that their open source licensing isn't exactly that.

What is clear, however, is that if the traditional database stack is 
often Oracle on Solaris, what does this mean. . . database-lite stack of 
  MySQL on OpenSolaris?

Or is it leverage against Oracle?

Does Sun see this as a way of getting consulting work based on open 
source software?  So why didn't they just start hacking away at MySQL 
more to do that . . . it's not like the GPL'd license is going to change 
when they purchase it.

I find it hard to believe that MySQL as a firm is worth $1 billion.

Pretty amazing to see a technology acquisition like this in the midst of 
the stock indices plummeting, the credit crunch mess and housing collapse.

g