MySQL Bites Back

Database industry watchers have been wondering how MySQL would respond to Oracle’s surprise purchase of Innobase, a small Finnish company that supplies some key technology for MySQL’s enterprise database efforts. Now it appears we have the beginnings of an answer.

“Obviously because Oracle made that acquisition we are evaluating options to replace that functionality in some way,” said Richard Mason, vice president of MySQL for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), according to and IDG News Service wire report. “We’re not at the point yet where we can go public with what that plan is, but we will be shortly.”

MySQL’s contract with Innobase is reportedly up for renewal next year, so we’ll see if the MySQL folks complete their answer before then.   

The news caps off what has been a busy few weeks in the database business. Databases a commodity? Nah. They’re just free. Follow these links to information about no-cost databases from Oracle, Microsoft, MySQL, CA, Sun, IBM and Google.