Open Database Alliance hedges against Oracle plans for MySQL

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Article Source Ars Technica
May 14, 2009, 8:51 am

Oracle’s recent move to acquire Sun has placed the responsibility for advancing MySQL development into the hands of the project’s most prominent competitor. The move is of deep concern to MySQL stakeholders and has created some uncertainty about the future of the popular open source database system.

Some key developers in the MySQL community are launching a new coalition called the Open Database Alliance which intends to coordinate collaborative MySQL development. The alliance‚Äîwhich currently consists of Monty Program Ab, Percona, and OpenQuery‚Äîaims to provide an inclusive, vendor-neutral environment for moving forward MySQL development. Their efforts will attempt to insulate MySQL from Oracle’s competitive interests by giving the collective MySQL community enough leverage to control the project’s destiny.