[TriLUG] This is not good

[Kevin Hunter]

At 12:27am -0400 on Tue, 21 Apr 2009, mgmonza wrote:
> Oracle buys MySql:

> I just can't see Oracle letting the competition to its
> multi-thousand-dollar per user per site per release per product software
> run around free anymore.

Is this a done deal?  I was under the impression -- and hoping! -- that
the FTC still had to OK the deal.  This def. doesn't bode well for a
number of projects.

He mentions this is the blog post as well, but I'm not so much worried
about MySQL as I am about Java.  I may not like Java for a number of
reasons but it does have the virtue of being entrenched in a /number/ of
surprising and innovative areas.  That's huge.

VirtualBox is another biggie.  That has come a long way in the past
year, and frankly I appreciate it much more than MySQL.  To a
first-order approximation of what can be done with virtual computing, I
think VirtualBox is the more strategic acquisition for Oracle, and the
bigger loss in the coming years for the public.

> That leaves PostgreSql as the only free SQL database, I believe.

There aren't as many Free databases as there are proprietary ones, no,
but Postgres is not the last.

To name a few off the top of my head:

Postgres, Sqlite, MaxDB, SmallSQL, Apache Derby, HSQL, Firebird

I'm sure Google and Wikipedia will enumerate much better this list.

Just keep in mind that each of these DBs has a different market niche.
It's amazing how many people will try turn their hammer into the tool to
rule them all.  For example, Postgres is awesome, but it's not meant for
embedding, like Sqlite.  Similarly, you won't get the power or as high
of quality of ACID compliance from as Postgres with Sqlite.  But I'd
much rather have Sqlite in Firefox than Postgres.  Pick the right tool
for the job ...

> It's too bad, because at least one agency here that was a heavy user of
> Oracle and GIS went to MySQL and Minnesota Maps in an effort to save money.

Hmm.  Modulo the agency's current investment in MySQL, I might offer
them Postgres as a possible alternative.  Postgres has *excellent* GIS
support through the PostGIS addon.  I can't attest to any MySQL API or
the general credibility of MySQL solutions in this area, but I can speak
to Postgres + GIS.  Absolutely on-target.  And frankly, given the choice
between Oracle+GIS and PostGIS, I'd pick PostGIS every time.

Kevin