Many Of The Open - Sourcers Are Backing Oracle's Takeover Of Mysql

1st November 2009

Many of the influential members of open source community are now raising their voices about the pending takeover Oracle of the open source database MySQL. To a surprise, many of them are not opposing this shift in MySQL ownership, which would come with the end of Oracle's deal of $7.4 billion in order to acquire the current owner Sun Microsystems, by contending that it would not be wounding the open source database.

The supporters are saying that Monty Widenius the co founder of MySQL and also the free software advocate Richard Stallman, and many others are whipping up the unfounded fears about future of MySQL, to get European Commission either to quash the entire deal or at least pressurize Oracle to sell MySQL off. This EC has launched a detailed investigation into this planned merger this fall, by citing that the serious concerns about how this deal would be affecting the database competition.

The opponents such as Widenius and Stallman are arguing that whatever the claim of Oracle and of its CEO Larry Ellison may be, the acquirer would be either weakening or burying this widely used MySQL to protect its own proprietary database that generates revenues of more than $8.5 billion in one year for the company.