The acquisition of open source database software MySQL by Sun was completed today, consummating a whirlwind courtship that started only last November. Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz says on his blog that Sun will immediately begin promoting MySQL to extend its reach and rolling out global enterprise support programs. In short, "we're bringing our largest customers the innovation and performance the world's most important on-line companies [meaning: Google, Yahoo and others, who use MySQL] are already experiencing...."

Schwartz slips into some buzzspeak a bit later, saying that Sun's engineering community, which now includes MySQL, of course, has "begun to engage across a dizzying array of touchpoints." I'm not sure what that means; I confess I'm a little dizzy thinking about it.

His comments about the business model for open source were instructive, however. Noting that many critics of Sun's $1 billion payout to obtain MySQL still consider open source to be something for hobbyists, "[m]ost of the IT world knows quite the opposite." Sun's current approach appears to be speeding adoption of products by removing licensing and pricing barriers, while concentrating on providing support services to add value and generate income. A similar approach is used by businesses that use open source software as a base, adding value through support, training and custom development for clients who have neither the time, training or desire to do so themselves.

While the Sun-MySQL deal has generated many positive comments, there are others who suspect ulterior motives from Sun, worrying that they will lock MySQL away behind a restrictive (and expensive) license, or worse, kill it entirely. Could happen, but Schwartz's actions since becoming CEO have tended toward moving Sun's existing technologies, like Java, to open source, not the other way around. Provided it gets the support Schwartz is promising today in the blush of romance, MySQL looks to be in a good position for the future.

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