The ongoing MySQL campaign

The ongoing MySQL campaign

Hi. I'm starting to get the feeling that this is going in circles now, but I'll take your questions for the honest questions they are, and answer them best I can:

1. All end users move to GPL MySQL (also MySQL Enterprise is GPL, even if the software is not available "for free"). I guess a majority were OEM customers, but some were end users. The reason they canceled those migrations is twofold: 1) They don't see any guarantees that MySQL actually will be forked. Do you know of anyone who is stepping up to the plate? MP has not released anything yet, so don't count on us. Further, it is not in our plans to provide 24/7 support, this is stated clearly on our website. And of course the fact that a GPLv2 only fork is a bit restricted in what it can actually do for them, even if successful. 2) It is not about the code or the license. There needs to be a large support organization, active sales organization, etc... For instance, as great as PostgreSQL is as a piece of software, at least in Europe it is commonly thought that you simply cannot buy support for it, anywhere. (The 2 large companies I know that use PostgreSQL in Finland, both have in-house expertise to support it, one employs a core developer.) The main point is that just because some code is available on the internet, doesn't mean that it is being maintained or is useful. It is not sufficient that organizations would actually migrate from Oracle to an Open Source solution. Many of the customers also were looking at what is called "a dual vendor procurement strategy", where you expect to get cheaper prices from both vendors due to competing them against each other. But if both databases are owned by the same vendor, well then it's not a dual vendor strategy.

2. True. On the other hand in their risk assessment they are also right in assuming that the government will regulate mergers that are anti-competitive. For instance, I don't think anyone assumes that Oracle would be allowed to buy away Sybase (or Microsoft or IBM), so customers expect to be "safe" from that threat. Yet, MySQL by most measures has a much bigger market share than Sybase, and is a bigger Oracle competitor than Sybase.

3. For end users, the software is distributed to them. If they cannot buy software that supports MySQL, they cannot use MySQL.

4. Yes. I'm still happy I can support them in the same cause.

5. Yes I know, I've written a book about Open Source business models. We are not asking the government to guarantee anything for us. We have our own business model, this is about MySQL. But the counter argument to what you are saying is that why should the government think that some proposed model will save MySQL rather than trusting that the model which historically actually was used and was successful, could continue to be successful. Sure, MySQL possibly could be developed like Linux is developed. (But to even enable that, the license regime would have to be changed, so today it's not possible.) But that statement is to some extent "wishful thinking". Even in the best case, it will take time for the new system to build up and organize itself. Even just re-recreating MySQL Ab from scratch using the old and proven business models would take years. Customers and the EU of course are concerned about that part - even in the best case there would be reduced competition for many years. It is completely appropriate to be more conservative and say, "if it isn't broken, don't mess with it".

6. In other comments I've explained that I do believe, and many other MySQL'rs do believe, that Oracle getting their hands on MySQL is a threat to MySQL *as a whole*. The discussion on the web, such as here, is mostly focused on licenses and forking, but I see the issues as more interrelated than that.

7. Just to clarify again, Monty Program is not in the business of selling proprietary products. On our website we are committed to the Hacking Business Model, which commits us to FOSS. (And this is unlike Sun/MySQL, actually.)