Beyond the Code
or, how to win friends, influence people and make a living by writing open source software. It's not just about the code.
Follow me on Twitter as @jonobennett.
Tuesday 20 October 2009, 12:28 PM
Monty says Oracle should be forced to sell MySQL
The creator of MySQL and the company that bears its name, Monty Widenius, has released a statement urging Oracle to sell off MySQL to speed up regulatory approval of its acquisition of Sun Microsystems. Widenius, who sold his company to Sun last year, thinks this is the best option for everyone, including Oracle.
Widenius' argument is that the delay in completing the acquisition is hurting Sun, and that MySQL itself is best owned by another company. The acquisition is being held up by the European Commission, but the only sticking point is Oracle's ownership of MySQL, not the rest of the deal.
I've already said I'm not concerned for the future of the MySQL codebase, and I don't think anything has changed since then. However, I'm inclined to agree with Monty, more because of what's in the rest of the deal — Java, OpenSolaris, NetBeans and lots of other open source software — that needs investment and strong stewardship. The longer the deal takes to complete, the more confidence in those other projects will deteriorate.
Widenius' argument is that the delay in completing the acquisition is hurting Sun, and that MySQL itself is best owned by another company. The acquisition is being held up by the European Commission, but the only sticking point is Oracle's ownership of MySQL, not the rest of the deal.
I've already said I'm not concerned for the future of the MySQL codebase, and I don't think anything has changed since then. However, I'm inclined to agree with Monty, more because of what's in the rest of the deal — Java, OpenSolaris, NetBeans and lots of other open source software — that needs investment and strong stewardship. The longer the deal takes to complete, the more confidence in those other projects will deteriorate.
Previous
