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Former CEO: MySQL's Installed Base Will Keep It Independent
By: Chris Preimesberger
2009-11-06
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Former CEO: MySQL's Installed Base Will Keep It Independent
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In an interview with eWEEK, former MySQL CEO Marten Mickos says "there's no rational argument" for preventing Oracle from acquiring all of Sun, including MySQL with its open-source relational database software. The competitive pressure that MySQL exerts on the market will preserve the independence of the database no matter who owns the product, Mickos asserts.
While Oracle tussles with the European Commission oversanctioning its $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems and the futuredevelopment of the Sun-owned MySQL, industrystakeholders are posting pro and con opinions—mostly con, as it turns out—aboutwhether Oracle can ever be a suitable home for the popular open-source Webdatabase.
The EC, which serves as the antitrust regulator of the European Union, hasbeen withholding its blessing on the deal until it is satisfied that MySQL willbe allowed to innovate and compete fairly in the IT marketplace. The fact thatOracle's own proprietary database often competes directly against it is seen asa huge conflict of interest; obviously, this has been the crux of the problem.
However, few observers have more insight into the reality of the situation thanMĺrten Mickos, currently an adviser to a major Silicon Valleyventure capital firm. Mickos was CEO ofMySQL for eight years and a major force in bringing it to world attention. Healso guided it for a time within Sun after the company bought the Swedishfranchise for $1 billion in January 2008.
Mickos on Oct. 9 wrotea letter to Neelie Kroes, the competition commissioner of the EC,advising the EC to sanction the deal.
In a Nov. 3 interview with eWEEK, Mickos made it clear that he is now in no wayinvolved with MySQL, either as an investor or adviser, and is simply aninterested observer at this point. However, knowing MySQL, Sun and Oracle andtheir respective communities as intimately as he does puts Mickos in a uniqueposition to assess what should happen to MySQL.
"I don't specifically have an opinion on where it should be," Mickostold eWEEK. "I'm just saying that there's no rational argument for notletting the company who's buying Sun have all of Sun."
Does Mickos see a problem with the world's largest enterprise database maker—Oracle—swallowingits largest and most successful open-source competitor?
"They [the EC] see a problem, and I understand the questions, and thequestions are good to ask, but I think also the answers are clear: Sure, MySQLas part of Oracle would be in a different constellation to some degree, but anycompany will have multiple scenarios going forward," Mickos said.
"The MySQL business is a very strong business, with enormous potential inthe next 10 to 20 years. It can do fantastically well within Sun. It can dofantastically well within Oracle. It can do fantastically well on its own aswell. I'm not speculating on what the best scenario is. I'm just saying that ifsomebody rightfully makes an acquisition, there should be no reason not toallow it."
Mickos said that the current estimate of installations is 12 million globally.Because MySQL is a freely available and downloadable software package, it isvirtually impossible to chart how many deployments are currently being used inthe world at any given time.
Next: How Much Further Can MySQL Grow? >>
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