Comments on: RMS opposes Oracle acquisition of MySQL http://rc3.org/2009/10/20/rms-opposes-oracle-acquisition-of-mysql/ Rafe Colburn on software development (and other topics) Wed, 23 May 2012 22:44:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: JJ http://rc3.org/2009/10/20/rms-opposes-oracle-acquisition-of-mysql/comment-page-1/#comment-6905 JJ Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:32:00 +0000 http://rc3.org/?p=10201#comment-6905 <p>PostgreSQL: The world's most advanced open source database. At least that's what their tag line says. I'm cool with MySQL, but I don't think it's quite as bad as they are making it out to be. I'm no friend of Oracle's pricing on their core DB products, but they have a right to pursue their business as they see fit. It's up to consumers to buy or not buy their products as they see fit. Free market economies just kinda work that way.</p> PostgreSQL: The world’s most advanced open source database. At least that’s what their tag line says. I’m cool with MySQL, but I don’t think it’s quite as bad as they are making it out to be. I’m no friend of Oracle’s pricing on their core DB products, but they have a right to pursue their business as they see fit. It’s up to consumers to buy or not buy their products as they see fit. Free market economies just kinda work that way.

]]> By: stephen o'grady http://rc3.org/2009/10/20/rms-opposes-oracle-acquisition-of-mysql/comment-page-1/#comment-6898 stephen o'grady Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:21:18 +0000 http://rc3.org/?p=10201#comment-6898 <p>What RMS is not acknowledging here is the fact that the "parallel licensing" that MySQL is actually a competitive disadvantage at this point.</p> <p>As long as MySQL or its owner chooses to rely on that model, it will be a disadvantage relative to forks which have no such limitations.</p> <p>Which is why I would also dispute the claim that "It could take several years before another database platform could rival the progress and opportunities now available to MySQL." This seems unlikely in a world in which technically competitive and even superior forks already exist today.</p> What RMS is not acknowledging here is the fact that the “parallel licensing” that MySQL is actually a competitive disadvantage at this point.

As long as MySQL or its owner chooses to rely on that model, it will be a disadvantage relative to forks which have no such limitations.

Which is why I would also dispute the claim that “It could take several years before another database platform could rival the progress and opportunities now available to MySQL.” This seems unlikely in a world in which technically competitive and even superior forks already exist today.

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