

Monty, Stallman, MySQL, Oracle, and Sun: Open Letter Wars - bensummers
http://kirkwylie.blogspot.com/2009/10/monty-stallman-mysql-oracle-and-sun.html

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gaius
If Monty isn't happy about what's happening with MySQL, he could always buy it
back with the $1Bn Sun paid him for it. But it sounds like he wants to have
his cake and eat it.

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va_coder
I predict the new data stores like Redis, CouchDb and MongoDb will soon
replace MySql as the default standard for new development. Once people start
downloading and getting comfortable with these data stores, there will be no
turning back.

MySql will be less important two years from now, regardless of what Oracle
does.

~~~
mahmud
The NoSQLs need a unified a data-interchange format ASAP. Do something based
on JSON or XML.

Without interchangeable data you need a unified API, and I am not sure they're
willing to collaborate on that.

RDBMSes win because of _ANSI_ SQL, ODBC and ORMs. If it wasn't for backend
independent code bases the RDBMSes would have no leg to stand on.

~~~
bayareaguy
That's a good idea. This could even be the start of a viable product catagory.

While in many cases it's trivial, I think it would also make sense for NoSQL's
to add some kind of way to support common INSERT or COPY FROM .csv file
commands. That would make it easy for organizations with existing SQL
databases to see if a NoSQL could better solve some of their needs.

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ableal
Mostly well argued (in favor of Oracle acquiring MySQL), with a couple of weak
spots. For one, overlooking Apple as a potential acquirer; it _is_ unlikely,
but they do have the cash, and already own CUPS (Unix printing) and invest
heavily in Webkit/KHTML (the KDE HTML engine - not sure what's the exact
status there nowadays).

The "never even worked for a profitable commercial enterprise" (thus cannot
know how it would affect the market) bit actually weakens the piece. Yeah,
right, it's a prerequisite and no one credible does that kind of thing, from
analyst to critic to regulator ...

~~~
KirkWylie
I intentionally left Apple out, actually. While Apple definitely has done work
in some back-end technologies, a $1Bn acquisition for something so clearly
outside their current strategy (which is far more consumer and mobile focused
than server focused) wouldn't make much sense. They invest in Webkit and CUPS
because they feel they're necessary (in the case of CUPS so that printing
actually works) or strategic (in the case of Webkit); MySQL? Not so much.

My point on RMS was that he's actively and completely rejected the commercial
world in every form. A stronger argument is that he's been talking about there
being MULTIPLE paths to financial riches using the GPL, but then whining
because if OraSun stops selling commercially licensed versions of MySQL,
nobody else can. While I agree with a stance that F/OSS is superior for
consumers, RMS has been completely useless at figuring out how to make
successful business models, and should be ignored.

Quite frankly, why RMS didn't speak up when Sun acquired MySQL, but is now, is
just another one of the mysteries about what in the world actually goes on in
his mind.

~~~
freetard
RMS is not again commercial software
<http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/selling.html>

