MySQL co-founder: Oracle should sell it
MySQL co-founder Michael "Monty" Widenius is leading a chorus of voices expressing growing apprehension over the proposed Oracle-Sun merger.
In a statement posted on his blog on Monday, Widenius said the European Commission is "absolutely right to be concerned" about the $7.4 billion takeover of Sun by Oracle, and he urged Oracle to sell MySQL to clear up any antitrust issues.
Although the deal received the thumbs-up from the U.S. Department of Justice in August, the Commission opened a probe in early September, citing fear that Oracle's ownership of MySQL could pose a competitive threat.
In his blog, Widenius asked Oracle "to be constructive and commit to sell MySQL to a suitable third party, enabling an instant solution instead of letting Sun suffer much longer." The famed MySQL developer, who departed Sun earlier this year, said that he wishes Sun "all the best, but MySQL needs a different home than Oracle, a home where there will be no conflicts of interest concerning how, or if, MySQL should be developed further."
Another voice uneasy about the Oracle-Sun venture is Florian Mueller, an EU policy expert who is a former MySQL shareholder and adviser. Mueller had helped Widenius' new company, Monty Program, urge the EU to investigate the anticompetitive effects of a MySQL owned by Oracle.
"Letting Oracle have MySQL is worse than putting the fox in charge of the henhouse, because the hens are no threat to the fox, while MySQL makes Oracle lose customers and forces it to grant discounts to customers threatening to defect," Mueller said in a statement.
Monty Widenius
(Credit: MySQL/Sun Microsystems)"Every day that passes without Oracle excluding MySQL from the deal is further evidence that Oracle just wants to get rid of its open-source challenger, and that the EU's investigation is needed to safeguard innovation and customer choice," Mueller added. "This is highly critical because the entire knowledge-based economy is built on databases."
Though several analysts have questioned the EC's motivation for probing the deal, Mueller firmly backs the commission.
"It's inappropriately arrogant for some interested parties to suggest that the EC has yet to understand the case," he said. "The EC is really doing a great job under huge time pressure." In August, Mueller helped write a position paper (PDF) on MySQL that Widenius' Monty Program gave to the EC.
And in yet another condemnation, Richard Stallman, founder of the free-software movement, wrote an open letter to the EU on Monday opposing an Oracle-owned MySQL as a threat that would hinder its further development in the open-source community.
Other prominent names, though, disagree. Earlier this month, MySQL ex-CEO Marten Mickos urged the EU to OK the deal, arguing that by delaying the merger, the EU is hurting the very competitive atmosphere that it claims to want to protect.
Major database players, including HP and IBM, have already reportedly taken advantage of the delay to win over customers from Sun.
In the meantime, Sun continues its downward spiral. Late Tuesday, the company confirmed that it would lay off another 3,000 employees, about 10 percent of its total workforce, over the next year. This latest round is in addition to 6,000 jobs cuts announced almost a year ago as part of the company's restructuring plan.
On Oracle's part, CEO Larry Ellison said last month that despite the EU's probe, Oracle has no intention of spinning off MySQL.
Clarification at 9:35 a.m. PDT: Widenius is a co-founder of MySQL, the company.
Lance Whitney wears a few different technology hats--journalist, Web developer, and software trainer. He's a contributing editor for Microsoft TechNet Magazine and writes for other computer publications and Web sites. You can follow Lance on Twitter at @lancewhit. Lance is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and he is not an employee of CNET. 
If it is because we are applying some form of special status to MySQL because of it's Open Source background, then the discussion should be dropped.
Open Source or not, a product, solution, company should stand on it's own merits and not be propped up through government intervention.
- Mike
Neither company is based in Europe. If two Chinese auto makers wanted to merge, do they have to get EU approval? If two EU companies want to merge, do the have to get U.S. approval? What's going on here?
MySQL probably has millions of loyal and happy Adopters and Users and now, those millions are suddenly faced with a future in the thrall of one of the world's most recognisd and fantastically successful "predators".
One is constantly reminded how the existing legal landscape is struggling to recognise the new topography and legal eddies that suddenly throw up a completely new set of human interests and concerns.
It is shameful that the Authorities in the US did not see fit to question the MySQL acquisition. Are we not to see a major change in International Status - with the EU replacing The USA as the guardian of the world's freedoms??
This is ridiculous - the EU trying to prevent Oracle from buying what's basically a corpse now.
If mySQL dies, big deal, migrate to postgres; or I'm sure there'll be lots of VC backed startups willing to support mySQL.
To all those open source zealots - isn't this exactly the reason you guys claim open sores is so great?! That you are not beholden to one entity's whims?
This is ridiculous - the EU trying to prevent Oracle from buying what's basically a corpse now.
If mySQL dies, big deal, migrate to postgres; or I'm sure there'll be lots of VC backed startups willing to support mySQL.
To all those open source zealots - isn't this exactly the reason you guys claim open sores is so great?! That you are not beholden to one entity's whims?
- by hjopin November 4, 2009 8:07 AM PST
- This was a terribly biased article that misses most of the relevant points.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(15 Comments)1) Florian Mueller is a paid lobbyist in the employ of Michael Widenius.
2) Michael Widenius earned a billion dollars selling MYSQL to SUN. Now he wants to buy it back at fire sell prices.
3) MYSQL is a great data base for non-critical apps. It does not compete with Oracle RAC. System Architects would be foolish to deploy MYSQL on mission Critical App's. It's main competition is Microsoft SQL and Oracle will compete against them if they have the product to do it, (MYSQL).
4) MYSQL is a opensource application. It has already been commercially forked by one of the founders and he is selling his identical forked version. If MYSQL is allowed top be owned by Oracle his concern is that MYSQL will end up being superior to his mirror copy and nobody will want it.
5) MYSQL may at best employ a few thousand people around the world. SUN products employ many tens of thousands of people around the world including the EU. Their concern is not the loss of employment because if this little charade continues layoff's will continue both at SUN and with SUN's customers and many thousands EU citizens will end up unemployed.
6)My first choice would have been for SUN to stay independent but inept senior management sent them down the merger path and they will not likely survive if the merger does not proceed. Consider the world without SUN. They are undeniably the leader in innovation, green technology, and that all comes at a great pricepoint.. Undoubtedly with SUN gone prices for technology solutions will skyrocket and IBM will have a monoply in the UNIX market. I doubt anyone want that.
I think the real question here is why did cnet even write this article? They did not research the people they wrote about and certainly were pushing an agenda. (IBM and HP add dollars?)