Sun Buys MySQL — I Think It’s a Disaster

Published on January 16th, 2008

Missed news redux.
Commentary on the Apple laptop. I wish it was light rather than thin.
Sun buys MySQL. I do not like this deal.
Microsoft rumored to buy Logitech? Why? What is the point?
Is Intel’s energy efficiency scheme a crock? One researcher thinks so.
Associated Press and Reuters twist same story two different ways.
Weird Microsoft patent sounds like it is from Stalin’s Russia.

click ► to listen:

23 users responded in " Sun Buys MySQL — I Think It’s a Disaster "

Subscribe to this post comment rss or trackback url

# 1 bill said, on January 16th, 2008 at 9:15 pm

Isn’t MYSQL the DB for SAP? I don’t understand why they bought it. if only to make it not open-source! It is really really good but a BILLION?
WOW!!!! To the owners of MySQL, “Spend it!!! have a great time!!!!! congrats!!”

John is maybe right on this one… we will see!

# 2 the Three-Headed Cat™ said, on January 16th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

MySQL, huh?

I can imagine the sleepless nights that announcement will cause Larry Ellison…

# 3 ECA said, on January 16th, 2008 at 9:28 pm

VOLUME CONTROL…Please.

# 4 pedro said, on January 16th, 2008 at 10:30 pm

#3 computers come with one

# 5 pedro said, on January 16th, 2008 at 10:39 pm

Oh, I forgot to ask. Doesn’t that keyboard of the hotair mac reminds you of those old and lousy chicklet keyboards?

Hope is only what it look like on the pics and not actually that lousy.

# 6 rider said, on January 16th, 2008 at 11:24 pm

seriously you need to lower the damn volume on these things every time I play one it’s a race to the volume control.

# 7 Glenn E. said, on January 17th, 2008 at 1:20 am

Make PCes lighter by making it out of plexiglass. A touch sensitive plate that acts as both a keyboard and a display screen. This also eliminates the mouse. Flash ram and B&W LCD display would require much of a battery to juice it. Eventually the battery will be the heaviest think a laptop has. And thin film Li-Ion cells will bring the weight down. At some point they might even manage to power the things off of cellphone tower transmissions.

# 8 srg86 said, on January 17th, 2008 at 2:39 am

The Opteron is more energy efficient than the Xeon, not because of the CPU, but in Intel’s use of FB-DIMMs which really suck energy.

# 9 jlm said, on January 17th, 2008 at 2:40 am

damn, guess Sun needed another project to screw up

# 10 god said, on January 17th, 2008 at 7:35 am

#5 – you really should walk into an Apple store if for no other reason than to come up with “problems” that aren’t from the last Century.

While you’re there, try the keyboard on the new iMac. It rocks and they sell ‘em to PC users. Probably the same as the Air.

# 11 god said, on January 17th, 2008 at 7:37 am

Ellison can spend the money he didn’t spend on mysql – on an A380 for himself.

# 12 Thomas said, on January 17th, 2008 at 7:37 am

I’m guessing that Sun’s purchase of MySQL will spell the end of it as a free database. Eventually, Sun will want to charge for it to make it look respectable compared to Oracle and SQL Server.

# 13 Fratm said, on January 17th, 2008 at 7:57 am

#10, I tried the keyboard on the new iMac’s just yesterday.. No thanks.. Reminds me of the TI99 days.

I will give them this much, the aluminum case on the keyboard is nice.. but that’s about it. Oh and I was impressed to see that Apple finally added a scroll wheel, err scroll ball? whatever it is nipple on the mouse is I did like it though, nice and small.

-Fratm

# 14 iGlobalWarmer said, on January 17th, 2008 at 8:39 am

I was considering using a MySQL backend to an upcoming project to keep costs down, but if there’s a good chance it’s not going to remain free, might as well stay with SQL server.

# 15 pedro said, on January 17th, 2008 at 9:10 am

#10 what! you kidding? those keyboards are toys. And don’t get me started with those damned one button laptops. Who the hell still thinks it’s a good idea to have a key pressed in the keyboard to have an alternate menu?

Oh, that’s right. I must think differently.

#13 thanks for reassuring what is obvious to the eye. It looked like a TI keyboard.

# 16 drem said, on January 17th, 2008 at 10:21 am

Of course IT WILL REMAIN FREE!!!
Do you guys have any ideea about Sun’s policy in the last 3-4 years!? If not, read the anouncements etc.

# 17 yikes said, on January 17th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

“Microsoft rumored to buy Logitech? Why? What is the point?”

Why? Microsoft can finally unleash it’s answer to Apple’s success; The iHeadPhone!

# 18 John C Dvorak said, on January 17th, 2008 at 8:59 pm

Pedro..I have to adjust MY volume to the pre-roll.

# 19 BubbaRay said, on January 18th, 2008 at 1:28 am

I’ve an old TRS-100 that still works for writing articles and numerous other chores. Best keyboard I’ve seen on a “notebook” in a long time. 25 yrs. old and still works like new, even with a spill or two.

In the pressbox at pro games, one can occasionally see one or two on the desks (well, in 2000).

# 20 ZUrlocker said, on January 18th, 2008 at 11:55 am

John,
this was the funniest story I have read in ages. It gave us all a good laugh at MySQL. I enjoy your writing and I think you know how to tweak mac users and open source guys. But this was so far off as a conspiracy theory that it was just too funny.

I think this is a game changing move by Sun and it’s a vote of confidence not only in MySQL but in Open Source in general.
–Zack

Zack Urlocker
EVP Products
MySQL

# 21 pedro said, on January 18th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

#20 you came all the way here, said what you said and yet didn’t thank John for adding a volume control to the media player?

# 22 Thomas said, on January 18th, 2008 at 9:05 pm

Need anyone point out that Open Source does not necessarily equate to Free Software? Last I checked, Sun was a business and thus desires to maximizing profits. At best, I see an eventual Microsoft-Fox scenario where Sun figures out how to make a database and keeps a stripped MySQL as a “Lite” version as free and creates MySQL Pro as the version that is not free ala SQL Express and SQL Server.

# 23 josephfeller said, on February 1st, 2008 at 9:13 am

Folks – Oracle bought up their own dual-license-slinging, support-selling open source database company back in 2006 – Sleepycat (Berkeley DB). Two years on, Oracle has pushed Berkeley DB through three major releases, and they are still holding on to the original Sleepycat revenue model (support sales and dual licensing) and the DB is still open source.

Why does everyone assume that the only reason a profit seeking firm like Sun would buy up an OSS company is to make it proprietary? Remember that MySQL AB is a profit seeking company themselves!

Leave Your Reply Below...

Comment Moderation is Active, so if your comment doesn't
show up immediately, please don't submit it again.

Special Deals 4U

25% off eHarmony subscription with code EHTECH
12-percent discount forever with code TECH
10-percent discount and free month using TECH10
10-percent or 30 dollars off weekly car rental!
Get 10-percent discount on car rental!
Get 10% off rental cars!
Get 10% off Dollar rentals!
Discounts on domain names!