Millions of web worker around the world trusted MySQL as their dbms, why not; it’s powerful, stable and definitely open source!, but be careful on the last one.
This week Oracle agreed to purchase Sun Microsystem for 5.6 billion USD which could become the most influential acquisition in the IT history. The thing that scarred the open source community is what will happened to Sun’s open source project, to remind you they have MySQL which Sun recently purchased and is one of the most powerful open source project on the web to date, then there’s Java, considered as the world’s number 1 programming language, OpenSolaris, OpenOffice, JavaFX and Netbeans.
If we look at the list of powerful open source project that going to Oracle direction, no wonder the community is having a nervous breakdown waiting anxiously to what Oracle’s Larry Ellison going to decide on these projects.
The worst possible scenario would be that some of the most talented developer on these projects will leave for another company thus left the project abandoned, IT Customer will later have doubt on whether the products they’re using going to stay open, supported and have continued improvement. This will lead to a major shock in the world trust on open source project.
Oracle reputation, it is surely not known as one of open source great supporters, especially now they will own one of its major competitor, MySQL. At many conference held recently, Oracle already promised to keep all Sun’s project running unchanged, but after all the smoke clears no one could predict what happen next.
Sun Microsystem failing to take their project on the open source road map has lead the industry wondering whether open source is a bad model for business, if a company that have such powerful list of project could be in trouble and unable to capitalize the assets, something that will make Microsoft smile dont you think?.
At last its hard to expect open source community will work the same way as they did before once these open source projects goes to commercial vendor, Oracle if they have any intentions to keep the projects evolve will have to show a lot of convincing acts to do.
im too sad to comment, a step back for open source community
A step back ? Maybe, maybe not…
Well, to give you an example, you know, even if Oracle closes OpenOffice project, this project has already been forked as Go-oo
And SUN is not the only player into the Glassfish community.
Then, this being said, there are multiple factors driving the future of those open source projects. So, wait and see.
It seems some people never heard of Copyleft, the Free Software Foundation and GLP licenses?
Effectively source forks is the answer for one scared of proprietary claims on those projects.
But not only. No company can compete with thoushands of developers worldwide.
The Open Source Software Model is a technological breakthrough by itself. Nobody can stop evolution.
BTW, I think Sun has been too slow to Open Source Java. Also they didn’t patented enough Solaris code (did they do any?) as IBM did with AIX to make sure nobody would ever puts its hands on GNU/Linux.
It seems Sun didn’t learn enough the lessons of IT industry history.
Remember, nobody can put a patent on ideas, that’s the future of our kids.
@Gilles Dubreuil
i think the community is not worried about proprietary claims on sun projects but rather on whether the mother company support the growth of those projects and whether the lead and influential developers will stay or leave for other true to open source projects.
and yes, sun is too late in making java open source, i think sun is confused between going open source or stay on commercial side.
sad news for developers, we hope oracle keep java as open source project,
im too sad to comment, a step back for open source community