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MySQL to Counter Oracle's Purchase of InnoDB

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the corporate-chess dept.

Miff writes "Computerworld is reporting that MySQL is hoping to counter Oracle's acquisition of InnoDB by providing its customers with an alternative." From the article: "Axmark said the storage engine is 'pluggable,' meaning other storage engines can be substituted instead. He said the code for InnoDB is under the GPL (General Public License), so 'the code is always out there. It will always be out there.'"

2 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. The real problem by einhverfr · · Score: 5, Informative

    MySQL does not provide a transaction-safe store free of licensing overhead. Commercial licensing of BDB, SAP-DB, and InnoDB all require relicensing agreements.

    These being availble for use under the GPL and similar licenses helps out everyone who uses MySQL under the GPL. But it doesn't help anyone else out, including MySQL. What MySQL needs is the ability to add something like MVCC to a table type that they own. Oh wait that will never work because MyISAM should be pretty much at odds with the whole concept. I guess it is time to build one from scratch.

    So the inevitable outcome is that MySQL will probably have to write a storage engine from scratch that meets all the needs that InnoDB filled.

    --

    LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
  2. Re:Patent Threat by joto · · Score: 5, Informative
    If InnoDB contains patented technology that Oracle now owns as a result of their acquisition of InnoDB, isn't that a moot point since InnoDB already released that stuff under the GPL?

    No. Repeat after me: "patents have nothing to do with copyright!". Write it on the chalkboard 100 times...

    There could be patents covering the GPL-licensed code, which InnoDB might not have enforced. Of course, thinking in this way is almost paranoid, but it has happened before, remember GIF?

    No matter how GPL'd the code is, if it violates patents, it is illegal to distribute in countries where that patent is valid. If you doubt me, the text of the GPL license itself spells this out for you. And even if you already have a copy, unless it comes with a patent license, it's illegal to run as well.