mysql60-server??

[Matthew Seaman]

Gary Kline wrote:

> 	Thanks for the heads-up, MAtthew.  I'm much too slow to get
> 	all the machinations re which corporation is diddling which
> 	corporation or other entity (like us).  Did not know that
> 	mysql was actually owned by Sun.  I'd ask if there are any
> 	free and open databases, but what db stuff I have is invested
> 	heavily with mysql.  So v 60 is out.  Do you know, off-chance,
> 	which versions are actively being hacked on?  Nothing mission
> 	critical--yet--but I think v51 is the best bet for now.

Well, what will eventually happen to MySQL is as yet unclear.  It's too
popular and too widespread for Oracle to just kill it, so my best guess
is that they'll keep it on as an open source type project, but they'll
treat it as a means of getting in the door to try and sell Oracle support
in a lot of places.  Which implies that any technology transfer will be
mostly from MySQL to Oracle and precious little in the other direction,
so that the commercial version of Oracle will maintain a technological
edge.

In the mean time, a bunch of die-hard MySQL people have forked a new 
instantiation of that project which isn't under the same commercial
constraints: see http://askmonty.org/wiki/index.php/MariaDB

Active development is mostly occurring on MySQL 5.1 and 5.4 -- not sure
where 6.0 is going although they did have plenty of development goals other
than 'not get borged by Oracle'.

But of course, there is the technically better, almost certainly faster at
real world tasks, but less optimised for noddy benchmarks option: PostgreSQL.
It's BSD licenced, and while there are commercially supported variants,
the core development team and the intellectual property are not structured
in a way to put them at any risk of being gobbled up by some mega-corporation.

	Cheers,

	Matthew

-- 
Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil.                   7 Priory Courtyard
                                                  Flat 3
PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey     Ramsgate
                                                  Kent, CT11 9PW

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 259 bytes
Desc: OpenPGP digital signature
Url : http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/attachments/20091125/f0ffe793/signature.pgp