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Blog: Pete LoshinApril 17, 2008Is Sun/MySQL selling out, or just selling?Here's some news: MySQL, Sun's still-shiny new open source database acquisition, will be adding new features to its Enterprise (that is, paid) version that won't be added to the Community (free and open) version. Here's the story at ComputerWorld: MySQL reserves features for paying customers; open-source community up in arms. Oddly enough, though, the story seems to have originated on Jeremy Cole’s blog: That tells me one of two things is happening: either Sun/MySQL is trying to pull a fast one and sneak this new development under everyone's radar, or else this is just business as usual and not anything to get upset about--or at least, not be surprised about. You can read about "user outrage" in the ComputerWorld article, as well as on Slashdot (Sun to Begin Close Sourcing MySQL). But Sun has to find a way to make that MySQL acquisition pay off, somehow. On the other hand, as Dana Blankenhorn points out here (Did Sun just make mySQL closed source?), MySQL started limited source code access to its Enterprise version last year--if you want to see the code, you've got to be a paying customer. That's fine: if you've paid for an Enterprise license, you get to see the source code (and do what you want with it). It shouldn't surprise anyone when a company that runs an open source project tries to make it pay off. The good news is that there is a huge--and strong--open source MySQL community, and that (as Mickos pointed out) anyone who likes could develop their own, free and open, version of the features that aren't going to make it into the community version. I'm sure we'll be hearing more interested news from the open source database players in days and weeks to come (including from me!). One of the exciting aspects of this development is that it illustrates and illuminates some of the most critical issues facing paying and non-paying users of open source software, as well as the vendors who are trying to build their businesses on free software. April 7, 2008Yet More on OpenIDHere are some more links to OpenID knowledge:
Any other good pointers? Let me know... July 26, 2007Using Eclipse for Development, and Web 2.0 RaveThinking about trying out an open source development platform? Here's a good article to get you started: Get Started With the Eclipse Platform, all about Eclipse, from IBM's developerWorks. I found the original link here: Get started with the Eclipse Platform, at the popular meta website, Digg. Now, you can read the original article, go read up at Eclipse, even download and install it, but check out the Digg comments from real users and you'll get valuable information not easily available anywhere else. The benefit of Digg is a quick sampling of opinions from people who know enough about Eclipse to have an opinion, and who care enough about it to post those opinions on Digg. May 27, 2007IBM virtual Linux environment beta programIf you want to see what a virtual Linux environment looks like, check out the IBM System p Application Virtual Environment for x86 Linux. Follow the link to find out more about participating in the beta program (as well as more details about what it does and how it works). Bill Andad at DANIWEB.com has more about it here. May 2, 2007More About MySQL: Google Fixes MySQLOne of the great things about open source software is you can make changes to the code if you need to tweak it or if you feel you can make it work better. You're not even obliged to share those changes, as long as you aren't publishing the new improved software. That's what Google did with MySQL, according to Google Releases Improved MySQL Code. Rather than hoard those changes for some elusive competitive advantage (they don't impact on Google's core search technologies), Google is making their code public, not just so others can benefit, but also to get the benefit of having their code reviewed by the global MySQL community. And that's another great thing: you get the benefits of improvements made by the original software project developers--as well as any improvements and fixes made by anyone else who uses the software. So if you want a world-class database, with fixes provided by another world class software company, check MySQL. March 14, 2007Under the radar Business Intelligence/Open Source Startup VerticaWant to know more about still "under the radar" company Vertica? They reportedly will be bundling their product with Linux-based hardware, hence a big open source connection, and they're selling a "column-oriented" database that they claim yields serious speed and flexibility benefits. You could go to their website and sign up to get a peek at their whitepaper, online demo, benchmarks and even (possibly) access to the beta version of their software. But I'm losing patience with companies requiring me to register with them just to get a bit of information about what they sell. Is it really necessary for them to collect so much required information just to show me their white paper? Anyway, Vertica was founded in 2005 by Michael Stonebreaker, so they're for real, and if I wasn't so lazy, I'd register on their site and read the white paper and tell you all about it. But you can get a pretty good overview, along with opinions and other information provided by tech people who aren't affiliated with the company, from the Slashdot article: Database Bigwigs Lead Stealthy Open Source Startup. And you might find helpful the original Network World article, New database company raises funds, nabs ex-Oracle bigwigs. January 31, 2007MySQL AB to Go PublicComputer Business Review Online is reporting that open source vendor MySQL is getting ready to go public in MySQL prepares for IPO and reveals Oracle endorsement. According to the article, MySQL CEO Marten Mickos told CBR Online that although MySQL still hasn't spent more than half of the VC money it's already raised, they may be ready to roll out an IPO by the end of this year. Read the article, and, discuss. December 4, 2006Linux, Oracle, Red Hat, Novell and MicrosoftThe open source turbulence generated last month by Oracle and Microsoft's moves on Linux is slowly but surely clearing. I've been looking at the issues in some depth for full-length articles to be published here in the next month or so. But at the moment it's kind of tough to figure out what exactly it all means. Rather than try to figure it all out as it happens, I'm going to be pointing to some of the particulars of the issues here in my blog. As a starter, here are links to some of the key announcements from Microsoft, Novell, Red Hat and Oracle: Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Linux announcement on October 25. Red Hat Unfakeable Linux response to Oracle's entry into the Linux market (with a rebadged version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux). "Microsoft and Novell Announce Broad Collaboration on Windows and Linux Interoperability and Support", the broad outline of Microsoft's deal with Novell, from November 2. We Believe response from Red Hat to the Microsoft/Novell announcement on November 2; here's an FAQ from Microsoft on agreement and a resource page on the deal from Microsoft. Novell's resource page for the Microsoft/Novell collaboration. Here's Novell's Open Letter to the Community dated November 20, in response to Steve Ballmer's comments about the possibility that Linux incorporates Microsoft intellectual property. Microsoft announces that they "agree to disagree" with Novell on November 20, after the first wave of controversy unleashed by Ballmer's statement that Linux users owe Microsoft for intellectually property. November 8, 2006Oracle, Microsoft, Red Hat and NovellJust in case you're looking for the low-down on what Oracle's announcement of Unbreakable Linux and Red Hat's "We Believe" and Unfakeable Linux responses mean, and how Microsoft and Novell fit in with their news, about Microsoft support for SUSE Linux, check back here in the coming days. I've downloaded Oracle Linux, and will be giving it the once-over in the coming days, while also applying the microscope to the fine print everyone's license agreements. So check back here! And let me know if you have specific questions that need to be answered, so I'll know what I need to find out for you! October 26, 2006Oracle to Red Hat: "Drop Dead"Well, the Oracle Linux shoe has finally dropped: Larry Ellison announced Oracle Unbreakable Linux in his closing keynote address at OpenWorld conference in San Francisco yesterday afternoon. No more speculation about Oracle offering its own open source OS (see, More Rumors about Oracle Linux and It's what open source naysayers have been warning about for years: what happens when a big commercial software company decides to sell their open source competitor's software? As I wrote in Enterprising Linux in July, Red Hat already tolerates the re-use of its Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) in projects like CentOS and Scientific Linux. Oracle is going to re-package RHEL, stripping off the Red Hat-proprietary stuff (same as CentOS et al do), and sell support--which is EXACTLY what Red Hat sells. And at a discount: current Oracle customers can get a free trial until January 31, 2007, and everyone gets a 50% discount on the product until then. The new Oracle product is already priced lower than Red Hat's offering. Red Hat has to be worried now that one of the world's biggest and baddest software companies announced plans to eat Red Hat's lunch. Red Hat shares dropped almost by a quarter in early trading as the analysts raced to downgrade Red Hat. Red Hat won't roll over, though. They've already posted a response to Oracle's move, UNFAKEABLE LINUX. It's a must-read for anyone considering Oracle's offering. Surprisingly, though, in the long run this may prove a boon for Red Hat. I'm not just playing the over-confident open source cheerleader here; for now, I'll just suggest some possibilities:
There's more, and I'll have more to say about this development in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, let me know what you think might become of Red Hat, Oracle and Linux in general. October 20, 2006More Rumors about Oracle LinuxIt makes sense that a company selling a full-spectrum of business intellgence/database management software would want to be able to package it all together from the OS on up. And the world continues to speculate on the possibility that Oracle might just be getting ready to do that (see my previous post, Oracle to Microsoft: Drop Dead?). Computer Business Review/Online ran another article about the possibility just a few days ago, Oracle Linux rumor puts pressure on Red Hat. The biggest news is that now an analyst with investment bank Jefferies and Co is repeating the rumor that started circulating last April. Whatever you think about Oracle, Linux and Microsoft, it's worth looking at the Slashdot.org discussion. If you don't mind sifting through the chaff, there's a lot of good wheat there. For one thing, if Oracle were to offer an Oracle-tweaked and optimized Linux distribution, it would likely work better for more users out of the box. It would certainly be easier and faster to install on a new system. For another thing, Oracle could partner wth a hardware company to offer a "complete database-backed application server in a box" product line, with OS, webserver, database, and whatever other (open source) software is necessary to deliver a turnkey product. When the bottom is falling out of the market for software because so much high-qualty software is now available for free, smart software companies will get into the business of selling something else--whether it is turnkey hardware or software services (another possibility if Oracle goes down the Linux path). October 19, 2006Google Gadgets Gladden Guys and GalsCall it what you will: part of the Web 2.0 explosion, or just a handy way to put new features on your website. Google Gadgets are mini-applications that grab information from Google.com or any webste and let you plaster it onto your website. Right now, there are over 1,500 Google Gadgets for websites (and growing rapidly) that you can just drop onto one of your own web pages so any browser (on any OS) capable of handling the Gadget HTML/Javascript code can access the applet. Though many bad web sites will undoubtedly get badder, savvy BI professionals will also undoubtedly view Google's new web application programming interface as an opportunity to integrate enterprise information and gather (or distribute) business intelligence. Unlike Google Gadgets for Desktops, of which there are over 100,000 examples, the Google Gadget API lets you generate content that can be interpreted by anyone, not just Windows users. May 30, 2006Oracle's Latest Open Source Release, Oracle Berkeley DB Java Edition 3.0Oracle bought Sleepycat Software just a few months ago, and they've already released the first major revision to Sleepycat's Berkeley DB developer database, Berkeley DB Java Edition 3.0. Oracle now publishes the Berkeley DB (BDB) family of products, a.k.a.Oracle® Berkeley DB, under the kind of dual-licensing program that benefits the vendor as well the developers who use it. Continue reading "Oracle's Latest Open Source Release, Oracle Berkeley DB Java Edition 3.0" » May 16, 2006Oracle vs The Filing CabinetIn this Business Week Online interview, Oracle: Competing with the Filing Cabinet, Larry Ellison says that Oracle's new Secure Enterprise Search will primarily compete against "the filing cabinet", giving companies a secure way for employees to access internal--and sensitive--corporate data directly through an "Internet-like" interface. According to Ellison, Oracle Secure Enterprise Search eliminates the need for employees to print out and filing the information they require. It also offers access to much more than the web pages that Google or Yahoo! index, particularly databases (of course), but with security (hence the name) so that employees can only retrieve information to which they already have authorization. What's it all got to do with open source? A big part of Google and Yahoo!'s success resulted from their ability to index web pages: data that conforms to a universally accepted and open standard for outputting data. Internal search engines like Oracle's as well as those from smaller vendors like Fast Search & Transfer and Autonomy, Inc. will succeed or fail based on their ability to search, interpret and index data in a wide range of formats. The more open standard formats are used, as opposed to proprietary formats whose use may be hobbled by legal restrictions, the more comprehensive internal search engines can be. May 11, 2006Red Hat, Oracle, and Open Source Enterprise SoftwareWith Oracle continuing its prowl for enterprise software in the form of open source-based companies, talk of Oracle selling their own Linux distribution continues. But now, Bill Snyder at TheStreet.com is suggesting that Oracle could sell Red Hat's own Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) here Oracle Seeing Red Hat. It's true that RHEL is open source, and there's no legal reason that Oracle couldn't compile the underlying source code and then sell support for it. Others, like CentOS have been doing exactly that for years, distributing the binaries at no cost; still others like Pie Box Linux offer RHEL binary-compatible distributions for a fee. The big questions:
I'll have more to say about open source enterprise quality software and support over the next few weeks, so stay tuned, and let me know what you think! |
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