[XCSSA] MySQL and Sun Talks about the Open Source risks to MySQL

Mon Apr 21 11:32:12 CDT 2008

If y'all want it, I can send you a presentation on some of the stuff I got out
of the recent Linux Collab Summit. I put one together for my boss and I can send
it to you for the meeting once I get the green light.

Tom King

> Hey all..
>
> Just FYI.. This is a discussion going on between some of the MySQL User Group
> (just started this month) here in town and a Sun/MySQLAB employee regarding
> the risks of MySQL and it's various open (and closed) source components...
>
> If you want to join the group, see here:
> 	http://mysql.meetup.com/284/
>
> Not sure where the next meeting's going to be.  The last one was at Rackspace
> HQ (on Datapoint), but there's talk about moving it to Dave & Busters.
>
> The next meeting sounds like it's going to be comparing and contrasting
> production use of PostgreSQL vs MySQL (both owned by Sun now!).
> Join the group list to find out more.
>
> Tweeks
>
>
> ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
>
> Subject: Re: [mysql-284] Inagural Meeting followup
> Date: Thursday 17 April 2008 18:21
> From: Matthew Montgomery <matt at day32.com>
> To: mysql-284 at meetup.com
>
> On Thu, 2008-04-17 at 12:14 -0400, Vidyut Luther wrote:
>> Hey Guys,
>>   I think with the following news...
>>
>> http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/16/2337224&from=rss
>>
>> I think the urgency to get edumacated on Postgres increases, perhaps
>> Matt can give us more details than the /. commenters about the
>> roadmap.. I'm not too concerned with the "closed source" aspect, as I
>> don't know how to code in C or C++, but
>> I'm curious what happens to the community edition..and prices.
>
> This is a grossly uninformed /. article and group of posters/pg fan
> boys.  MySQL is *NOT* closed sourcing any parts of the the mysqld
> server.  No way, no how!  As I explained at the meetup some features to
> the online backup API planned for 6.0 may be released as plug-ins under
> a closed-source license.
>
> These will include encryption, compression and native (binary) backup
> drivers for some engines (a la. ibbackup).  Community editions of mysqld
> will continue to be GPL'd as they always have and they will receive the
> same online backup API the Enterprise edition gets.  The Sun/MySQL
> created plug-ins will interface the same public backup API everyone else
> has access to.
>
> If anyone wants to reproduce the proprietary backup modules Sun/MySQL
> creates under a different license they are free to do so.  We want to
> encourage outside development in and around MySQL to a greater degree
> than we have seen to date.  We are trying to encourage additional
> OpenSource development with this move not diminish it.
>
> Regarding Daniel's comments:
>
> "I have it on good authority, not at liberty to say who cause they don't
> want to go on record, that Jonathan Schwartz was unaware of this change
> and the hammer is coming down pretty hard on a few MySQL execs."
>
> I would take this with a grain of salt as well.   1) There is no
> "change".  MySQL has always release some products under a closed license
> and some under GPL.  2) MySQL has been experimenting with various
> revenue models around open source for a while.  The decision to release
> some features of the new online backup system as closed source plug-ins
> has been discussed and debated (quite hotly at times) internally for
> quite a while.  This should not be news to anyone internal to MySQL,
> least of all Martin's superiors.  3) Martin had been promised a high
> degree of autonomy to continue running the MySQL business unit as he
> sees fit.  It's highly unlikely that Schwartz will now come down and
> meddle at this level because of this ill-informed rant.
>
> --
> Matthew Montgomery, Support Engineer
> Sun Microsystems Inc., Database Group
> San Antonio, Texas, USA
>
>
>
>
> --
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