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Microsoft Acquires Another Open-Source Company, Citus Data (cnbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the big-shark,-small-shark dept.

Microsoft on Thursday said that it's acquiring Citus Data, a start-up that has commercialized open-source database software called PostgreSQL. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. From a report: The deal could help Microsoft make its argument that it supports open-source technologies, particularly in the cloud, while continuing to make money from popular proprietary software like Windows and Office. In the cloud business, Microsoft wants to use openness as a way to pick up business amid competition from Google, market leader Amazon and others. Currently, Citus Data's website advertises a version of its database software that's hosted on Amazon Web Services. Microsoft's blog post announcing the acquisition mentions the competing Azure cloud 10 times.

22 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. embrace, extend extinguish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

    1. Re:embrace, extend extinguish by DickBreath · · Score: 1

      But did they get a check from Microsoft? And did it clear the bank?

      Remember back in 2016 when Microsoft acquired The Linux Foundation? The world did not end.

      You can't stop open source.

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    2. Re: embrace, extend extinguish by sg_oneill · · Score: 2

      Voices: "We just made a whole bunch of dollars!!!l"

      "Shhh Non disclosure agreement"

      --
      Excuse the Unicode crap in my posts. That's an apostrophe, and slashdot is busted.
  2. Pass the forks please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Like MySQL, perhaps it's time for the visionaries from Postgres to fork this database. Microsoft may claim to be "pro open source" but I remember when Microsoft tried to kill the progress of Linux distro distribution calling it "unamerican" (among other things). Oracle tried (and failed thank god), purchased Sun MicroSystems looking for opportunities make money off or limit/kill MySQL ( which the EU prevented as a condition of the deal), and put restrictions on OpenOffice, Java and Solaris. The devs of MySQL didn't trust them ( and created MariaDB), the devs from OpenOffice didn't trust them (creating LibreOffice) and fortunately there is an open source version of Java. A tiger doesn't change it's stripes just because it starts to purr. It's still a dangerous animal when it sees an opportunity. The latest offerings of MS are more intrusive (data spying/extraction), more draconian (Windows 10, you can't really control the updates or the information it takes from your files (and forwards to the US Government)) and expensive than ever before (especially when Windows 10 becomes subscription (like rent-an-os) rather than one time buy for life, just like MS Office (Office 365, which takes money AND your data. Mark Twain would have a field day...). Given that MS is being sued by the EU for extracting private data illegally under Dutch law and are pushing their subscription based products harder than they've pushed anything before, its kind of hard to believe they want to play nice with anybody, including open source groups/products. More likely they want to control/limit/poison the biggest contributors to the open source developments. Gitlab, and now Postgres. And everything they purchase and alter for their agenda suffers. (Minecraft anyone?) So, please past the forks, and let's stick a knife in MS's effort to taint the pool. Diversity breeds strength. We need more. PS: I'm a bit disappointed that Cirus Data sold to MS of all people. Couldn't they find anybody more trustworthy, or was it just the dollars talking. (retorical question, we all know the answer)

    1. Re:Pass the forks please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Such a bunch of bullshit: While I do agree that Microsoft has a really bad and predatory corporate culture, Citus *is not* PostgreSQL. Citus is (was?) a company offering some PostgreSQL services, there are others of them.

      Wise up before making a fool of yourself.

  3. Citus Does Not Own PostgreSQL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    They matket an add-on to helpit scale and they offer PostgreSQL as SaaS.

    Relax;

    1. Re:Citus Does Not Own PostgreSQL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      First thing I checked too, and agree. PostgreSQL seems like it has a healthy set of contributors and won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

    2. Re:Citus Does Not Own PostgreSQL by AleRunner · · Score: 1, Insightful

      They matket an add-on to helpit scale and they offer PostgreSQL as SaaS.

      Relax;

      Apple did not "own" BSD. They still managed to completely dominate the BSD desktop market to the extent nobody even thinks of it as BSD. PostgreSQL has weak licensing and so their community is vulnerable to commercial takeover.

    3. Re:Citus Does Not Own PostgreSQL by Rob+Y. · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, I guess it's possible that Microsoft no longer cares about making money off of SqlServer. Perhaps it's more important to their go-forward business model that developers target Azure and generate recurring hosting revenues without having to incur development costs for a database server. Think Edge/Chromium.

      The business model for Edge is no longer 'make sure web apps keep you tied to Windows', it's now "we want to spy on you and feed you ads - either like Google or so Google can't". And while we're at it, our web apps can be cross platform like everybody else's that simply targets Chrome.

      If they were to rebrand PostgreSQL on Azure as AzureSQL, they could switch their DB business model from "make sure your backend database code keeps you tied to in-house Windows servers" to "we want you to run your backend on our cloud - either like MySQL or so Oracle can't get your business".

      Can the mythical Microsoft Linux be far behind?

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
    4. Re:Citus Does Not Own PostgreSQL by jimtheowl · · Score: 1

      "They still managed to completely dominate the BSD desktop market"

      That statement doesn't mean anything and the following one is baseless.

  4. Do not insult our intelligence by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    The deal could help Microsoft make its argument that it supports open-source technologies.

    Yeah, right.

  5. Before everyone freaks out by IMightB · · Score: 5, Informative

    So everyone knows Citus is a PG Extension to allow for distributed queries, it is *not* the postgresql project itself.

  6. Infiltrate, assimilate, destroy, move on by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    'Open source' is a threat to Microsoft profits therefore acquiring and destroying Open Source is on their 'to do' list. Microsoft wants to be the one and only source of an operating system and software in the world and they don't care what they have to do to achieve that.

    1. Re:Infiltrate, assimilate, destroy, move on by tlhIngan · · Score: 4, Informative

      'Open source' is a threat to Microsoft profits therefore acquiring and destroying Open Source is on their 'to do' list. Microsoft wants to be the one and only source of an operating system and software in the world and they don't care what they have to do to achieve that.

      That was probably true 10 years ago, but Microsoft has moved on and figured out how to make money off open source as well. Namely, stuff like Azure means Microsoft found a way to work with Linux and other open source technologies and make money off it.

      Nadella likes to make money, and if it means upsetting the old Microsoft apple cart, he's done it. That's why there's the Linux subsystem for Windows, SQL Server for Linux, Azure supports Linux extremely well, etc. Windows and Office are old standbys but you can bet he'd port Office to Linux if it would make money.

    2. Re:Infiltrate, assimilate, destroy, move on by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      How can you know the overall agenda doesn't include 'owning' open-source everything to the point where they just turn around and invalidate all the open-source licensing and own it outright, or more likely, control open-source to the point where if you're not Microsoft, then you can't do anything of value with it anymore? Seriously when you have a whole fleet of attorneys at your disposal you can do just about anything.

    3. Re:Infiltrate, assimilate, destroy, move on by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Sez you. We'll see won't we?

  7. Re:Bye Bye Open Source! by DickBreath · · Score: 1

    Trying to destroy open source is like trying to stop the incoming ocean tide with your hands.

    --

    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  8. Re:Typical psychopath capitalists. by DickBreath · · Score: 1

    Okay, I get it. You don't like socializing everything. But if you capitalize everything then PEOPLE WILL ACCUSE YOU OF SHOUTING.

    --

    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  9. What OpenSource? by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't see any offerings from Citus Data which are open source.

  10. Another click bait title by nzkbuk · · Score: 1

    It would be nice if people posting these store enhance the content so it's not just the click bait that the media outlets insist on

  11. Re:Correct, it is HIV. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    No.

    A virus carries it's own DNA around but cannot reproduce itself without injecting that DNA into some host, some cell or other, and subverting the hosts mechanisms to reproduce more virus. Killing the host in the process.

    GPL software is quite capable of reproducing itself. Ergo is not like a virus.

    Further, in terms of actual software nothing about the GPL forces developers to reveal their source codes. Developers can choose to license their creations under the GPL or not. It's up to them. They can choose to make use of GPL software to base their creations on or not, in which case they have to abide by the license terms, it's just a license with terms and conditions like any other.

    Distributors, mostly likewise.

    Again we see there is nothing virus-like about the GPL.

    GPLed code is more like a life form that can easily reproduce and spread, mutate and change.

  12. Re:Correct, it is HIV. by willaien · · Score: 1

    GPL is infectious. And restrictive.

    I will not release anything under any GPL variant, and I do not use GPL licensed things if I can avoid it due to the licensing headache it creates.