It may be the "M" in the "LAMP" (Linux/Apache/MySQL/Perl-PHP-Python) open source web publishing platform, but MySQL is also the basis of MySQL AB's business. And MySQL AB has been popping up on a lot of radar screens this autumn.
Late last month, MySQL AB announced release of a major upgrade, MySQL 5.0 (press release), with new features that place the emphasis on "enterprise". Does this mean that MySQL, a company proud of having been called the "IKEA of databases", getting ready to compete with the heavy hitters of the industrial database business, too?
Back in early September the MySQL/SCO brouhaha was exposed in the trade press (check out C|Net's report, also the discussion on Slashdot). MySQL AB and long-time open source pariah SCO (suspected by some conspiracy-minded people to have been paid under the table by Microsoft to invalidate the GPL). MySQL and SCO were reported to have joined forces to market SCO's expected OpenServer 6 upgrade. Is MySQL AB selling its soul to the devil, or just doing business?
Then there's the question raised by Oracle's acquisition of Innobase Oy, the Finnish company that develops the open source InnoDB Storage Engine. That's the same GPL'ed storage engine that drives MySQL's transaction-safe (ACID compliant) storage. Oracle sells what MySQL AB gives away; they now control a key piece of MySQL's package. How's that all going to play out?
Posted November 9, 2005 6:34 AM
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Your last comment is sort of interesting, as Oracles major acquisitions over the past year seem to indicate a migration out of th edatabase/system layer to penetrate into the application layer. This purchase might be further evidence that Oracle may be moving toward the conclusion that it is ok to give away some of the componentry if you can grab the money back at the application level.