Sun acquires MySQL for $1 billion

If you've ever run a website, chances are pretty high that you've dealt with the MySQL database management system. And if you've ever used a piece of open-source software, chances are that you've made use of at least a snippet of Sun Microsystems code. So here's some news that will affect just about everyone in IT: Sun has announced plans to acquire MySQL AB (developer of MySQL), one of the world's largest open-source developers, for $1 billion. The move will ensure that Sun, the world's largest open-source contributor, maintains a firm grip on its title and serves to reiterate the tech giant's commitment to the open-source community. While that's all well and good for Sun, what does this mean for the MySQL developer community? "MySQL is still being managed by the same people, and the charter is still the same. There is no need for reducing the set of platforms or languages," MySQL AB VP of Community Kaj Arnö wrote in an extensive blog post. "It only makes sense for us to continue to support defacto Web development standards like LAMP, as well as emerging ones like Ruby and Eclipse. This deal is about addition, not subtraction." And really folks, this is all beside the point--just check out that sweet photo of Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz and MySQL AB CEO Mårten Mickos kickin' it old school. Is there any better indication that things are on the up-and-up than two nerdy bros bumping fists? I think not.

For more on the acquisition:
- see this post on the MySQL blog
- and this interview with MySQL AB founders Michael Widenius and David Axmark