Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld) [LWN.net]

Computerworld covers Oracle's plans following the Sun acquisition. "Oracle Corp. today promised to aggressively push its newly acquired MySQL open-source database, rather than kill it. Oracle also plans to continued to invest in and maintain the independence of OpenOffice.org, the longtime Microsoft Office challenger from Sun Microsystems Inc., but it will also launch a separate cloud productivity suite that's similar to Google Docs, according to Chief Corporate Architect Edward Screven."

to post comments

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 28, 2010 21:12 UTC (Thu) by ofirm (guest, #54632) [Link] (11 responses)

For those interested, the webcast replay (19 minutes) and the presentation are located here:
http://www.oracle.com/us/sun/044498.html

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 28, 2010 22:53 UTC (Thu) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] (10 responses)

Yes, http://www.sun.com/ is gone. The end of an era.

Unix and the absorption of Sun

Posted Jan 28, 2010 23:17 UTC (Thu) by eparis123 (guest, #59739) [Link] (8 responses)

Yes, http://www.sun.com/ is gone. The end of an era.

Sun technologically advanced Unix to new levels in that era (memory management, security, file systems, etc). Let's see what's going to happen in the current new era from a Unix perspective (if any).

Unix and the absorption of Sun

Posted Jan 29, 2010 10:31 UTC (Fri) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] (5 responses)

Maybe they'll apply the same expertise in user-interface design, robust software testing, and performance optimization to Sun's products that we've seen in the Oracle database.

(oh dear)

(apologies for snark, but not very many)

In the proprietary domain

Posted Jan 30, 2010 2:27 UTC (Sat) by man_ls (guest, #15091) [Link] (4 responses)

You are not being fair. Just compare with the proprietary competition (Ingres, SQL Server, DB2) and you will start loving Oracle disproportionately.

In the proprietary domain

Posted Jan 30, 2010 17:58 UTC (Sat) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] (3 responses)

Yeah, but it's the thing you've got to work with day to day that you
really hate. My workplace is moving off suns even faster than we already
were, simply because it is not healthy to have one giant supplier that you
get everything from.

Funny

Posted Jan 30, 2010 18:03 UTC (Sat) by man_ls (guest, #15091) [Link] (2 responses)

So the "full software stack" strategy is not working for you? Nor the new "full hardware + software stack" strategy? :D

Funny

Posted Jan 30, 2010 18:59 UTC (Sat) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link] (1 responses)

It's great! It means that if your supplier wants to change anything all
you can say is 'yes master, can we have some more?' because you can't
migrate off their stuff because you rely on them for these *other* things
as well... the real problem here is that Oracle is proprietary, of course.
You don't get this sort of lockin with PostgreSQL.

Funny

Posted Jan 30, 2010 20:10 UTC (Sat) by man_ls (guest, #15091) [Link]

the real problem here is that Oracle is proprietary, of course.

It's not the only problem, I think. Lock-in is inevitable when you rely on some piece of equipment and it is not standard. For example, you can rely on a J2EE server but the transition to another will be mostly painless. Same with standard SQL (if standard SQL was used by anyone). But if you use the proprietary extensions of your DB (be it open source or not) then it will be very hard to migrate any large software system. So for instance, migrating from MySQL to Oracle or viceversa can be near impossible even if they (now) come from the same vendor.

This situation is quite bad for the customer and the industry in general, but very profitable to the vendor. I had never thought of the implications of having just one provider for everything, but you are right, it sounds scary. In fact it's back to the Apollo workstations of the 80s before Sun started building standard Unix machines. What irony, Sun's history ends just as it started.

Unix and the absorption of Sun

Posted Jan 29, 2010 11:59 UTC (Fri) by epa (subscriber, #39769) [Link]

Oh noes, now all the Java code using the 'com.sun' namespace will need to be changed!

Unix and the absorption of Sun

Posted Jan 29, 2010 13:09 UTC (Fri) by tnoo (subscriber, #20427) [Link]

Mission accomplished: "the network is the computer"

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 10:54 UTC (Fri) by pranith (subscriber, #53092) [Link]

RIP Sun Microsystems.

OpenOffice.org

Posted Jan 29, 2010 8:22 UTC (Fri) by AlexHudson (guest, #41828) [Link]

The various plans for the office software are somewhat worrying. Although they claim OpenOffice.org will continue as before, it's difficult to see how that can happen if they're using that business unit to develop Oracle Office and the web-based stuff without hiring more developers.

OpenOffice.org badly needs some fresh blood and rejuvenation.

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 9:23 UTC (Fri) by sylware (guest, #35259) [Link] (7 responses)

mysql is dead as I do not turst oracle board.
Better start looking for SGBDR replacement.

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 9:47 UTC (Fri) by DYN_DaTa (guest, #34072) [Link]

"... as I do not turst oracle board."

Why not?.

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 10:51 UTC (Fri) by tzafrir (subscriber, #11501) [Link] (5 responses)

Furthermore: why do you have to trust it?

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 11:16 UTC (Fri) by DYN_DaTa (guest, #34072) [Link] (4 responses)

I don't have to, that's true :).

But i was hoping a real argument instead a rant.

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 13:00 UTC (Fri) by sylware (guest, #35259) [Link] (2 responses)

It's a personnal choice based on my personnal perception of the issue.
I'm switched on "mysql is dead" and will start behaving on than based basis. I'll keep monitoring oracle about mysql, they may prove me wrong, but since then...

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 18:32 UTC (Fri) by drag (guest, #31333) [Link] (1 responses)

Oracle couldn't kill MySQL anymore then I could.

Your talking about one of the most popular and widely used open source
projects of all time. GPL licensed, no less.

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Mar 3, 2010 11:11 UTC (Wed) by sylware (guest, #35259) [Link]

Time will tell us... for now "it's dead".
What will do Oracle board? Best way to kill it:to do nothing and let it die by itself.

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite (Computerworld)

Posted Jan 29, 2010 13:48 UTC (Fri) by clugstj (subscriber, #4020) [Link]

It's getting hit on the head lessons here.