PostgreSQL Advocacy - Oracle tried to buy MySQL

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Oracle tried to buy MySQL

Christopher Kings-Lynne

2006-02-16, 3:24 am

http://news.com.com/ Oracle+tried+t...l?tag=nefd.lede

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Jeff Davis

2006-02-17, 7:26 am

Christopher Kings-Lynne wrote:
> http://news.com.com/ Oracle+tried+t...l?tag=nefd.lede
>
>

This probably means that the just bought Sleepycat and Innobase in an
attempt to scare MySQL into a lower price.

This also means that Oracle could also try to hurt PostgreSQL in a
similar way (i.e. hiring all developers).

However, since PostgreSQL developers aren't centralized, that would
leave Oracle with a problem. Anyone in the world who wanted a job at
Oracle could just hack some PostgreSQL code for a couple months :)

Regards,
Jeff Davis

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David Fetter

2006-02-17, 7:26 am

On Thu, Feb 16, 2006 at 02:37:12PM -0800, Jeff Davis wrote:
> Christopher Kings-Lynne wrote:
>
> This probably means that the just bought Sleepycat and Innobase in
> an attempt to scare MySQL into a lower price.
>
> This also means that Oracle could also try to hurt PostgreSQL in a
> similar way (i.e. hiring all developers).
>
> However, since PostgreSQL developers aren't centralized, that would
> leave Oracle with a problem. Anyone in the world who wanted a job at
> Oracle could just hack some PostgreSQL code for a couple months :)

I doubt that Oracle is unaware of the players and their roles in
PostgreSQL's developer organization.

Cheers,
D
--
David Fetter david@fetter.org http://fetter.org/
phone: +1 415 235 3778

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Ron Mayer

2006-02-17, 7:26 am

David Fetter wrote:
>
> I doubt that Oracle is unaware of the players and their roles in
> PostgreSQL's developer organization.

I think it's more a matter of BDB & InnoDB and MySQL's customers
that makes Oracle look there rather than here.

Consider that with Sleepycat now Oracle can claim

Google's Gmail is powered by Oracle technology
Microsoft's Groove is powered by Oracle technology
Amazon's A9 Search is powered by Oracle technology
AOL search is powered by Oracle technology
Yahoo's Finance is powered by Oracle technology

while previously they had little traction in the high-traffic
web space. (I had someone criticize an oracle-based
dotcom company we were trying to sell with the comment
"Oracle may scale technologically, but it doesn't
scale financially".)

And I'm not aware if before BDB Oracle had any embeddable
products like those used in EMC's storage appliances
and Sony's set-top boxes (which both use BDB)

And with InnoDB they can claim Sabre / Travelocity, etc.

I think they had a product-gap in that area, and went for
the players with the biggest customer list there.

I still bet that any Postgresql-based-company that
had advertised comparable customer list would get
Oracle offers very quickly.

Chris Browne

2006-02-25, 9:50 am

Ron Mayer < rm_pg@cheapcomplexde
vices.com> writes:
> And with InnoDB they can claim Sabre / Travelocity, etc.

I'm not sure that's actually the case. The impression I get (and I
have declined to ask my "inside contact" on this ;-)) is that they are
using MySQL for catalog cacheing applications where transactions
aren't so necessary.

(In other matters, I haven't heard any stories of either company
dropping Oracle instances, and my "inside contact" has periodically
been picking my brain on PostgreSQL tuning ;-).)

On another note, it appears that "The Empire Strikes Back."
<http://www.greenman.co.za/b2evoluti...1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1>

Apparently Jim Starkey, original InterBase implementor, has had his
company, <http://netfrastructure.com/>, bought out by MySQL AB...
<http://www.firebirdnews.org/?p=128>
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Bruce Momjian

2006-02-25, 9:50 am

Jeff Davis wrote:
> Christopher Kings-Lynne wrote:
>
> This probably means that the just bought Sleepycat and Innobase in an
> attempt to scare MySQL into a lower price.
>
> This also means that Oracle could also try to hurt PostgreSQL in a
> similar way (i.e. hiring all developers).
>
> However, since PostgreSQL developers aren't centralized, that would
> leave Oracle with a problem. Anyone in the world who wanted a job at
> Oracle could just hack some PostgreSQL code for a couple months :)

Yes, hiring our developers is one of our three risks. The other two are
a copyright purchase from the owner (Marc), or a patent attack.

--
Bruce Momjian http://candle.pha.pa.us
SRA OSS, Inc. http://www.sraoss.com

+ If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +

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Joshua D. Drake

2006-02-25, 9:50 am

>
> Yes, hiring our developers is one of our three risks. The other two are
> a copyright purchase from the owner (Marc),
I think you mean Trademark, at which point we just change our name so no
big deal.

Joshua D. Drake

> or a patent attack.
>
>

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Bruce Momjian

2006-02-25, 9:50 am

Joshua D. Drake wrote:
>
[color=darkred]
> I think you mean Trademark, at which point we just change our name so no
> big deal.

Yes, sorry. I think ICANN would pull our DNS registry on the production
of a document stating they owned the trademark, even if it was
unenforceable. It would just delay us while we disputed it or renamed
our project.

(FYI, there has been talk of moving back to the old "Postgres" name, but
that is just talk.)

--
Bruce Momjian http://candle.pha.pa.us
SRA OSS, Inc. http://www.sraoss.com

+ If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +

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