While the EC finally approved of the Oracle / Sun deal, former MySQL exec Florian Mueller is still complaining and concerned that Oracle will eventually kill MySQL. Mueller has stated that the EC’s opinion about the open-source database PostgreSQL is flawed—contending that PostgreSQL is not a viable alternative, PostgreSQL couldn’t replace MySQL in the marketplace, Oracle is not bound to statements of commitment to MySQL support, and claiming that
“PostgreSQL has been around for decades without having had its mainstream breakthrough, so the EC can’t seriously claim that PostgreSQL could replace MySQL as a competitive force. Forks are a legal possibility but there’s no reason to assume that any MySQL fork, or even a number of such forks collectively, could threaten Oracle to the extent that MySQL could.”
As it stands, the acquisition of Sun by Oracle now heads to China and Russia where Mueller and friends are holding out hope that the deal will be squashed. While many are claiming victory it would be disrespectful to assume China or Russia will not put considerable effort or thought into the deal. And let’s just say it’s a good thing Oracle’s name isn’t Google.