MySQL - A change agent for open source

The 1st Edition of "The MySQL Story" was handed out during the MySQL meeting in Orlando when the Sun acquisition of MySQL was announced. MySQL is a very cool company with employees that have a very unique, committed and passionate perspective to open source.

MySQL employees are taught to be "disruptive", to shake the world with new ideas and innovativeness. With a strong believe and commitment to open source, MySQL AB has created a company where everyone believes that there is a greater good that can be accomplished by working together, collaborating together, sharing and freely exchanging ideas. I believe a lot of the great company "team" attitude and commitment to work together is fostered by the belief in open source.

If Sun truly wants the MySQL acquisition to succeed, I strongly recommend Sun to let the core values of MySQL to survive and to try not to change MySQL but to support MySQL so the MySQL database server can grow better and stronger and help open reach new levels of success. Open success succeeding is a win for every individual and startup company on the Internet.

I find it interesting all the doomsayers predicting all the things that could go wrong with this MySQL acquisition and can MySQL go head to head with Oracle. You always hear this from the industry analysts never from MySQL employees. Oracle is like an aircraft carrier task force and MySQL is like a small speed boat. All MySQL employees know this and love MySQL being a speed boat. All the doom sayers and preachers of gloom need to relax a little bit or maybe that helps get readers. Open source believers believe in "open source". They are not religious zealots for Ruby on Rails, PHP, MySQL, Linux or any other component of open source. They are committed to open source. MySQL understands as well as any, open source group. I can't predict the future, you will always see MySQL at the front of the battle lines for open source. I suggest everybody sit and wait to see how the MySQL database server grows under this acquisition. You don't kill the goose that lies the golden eggs. Be a little patient, you may be pleasantly surprised with how well this acquisition goes.

MySQL employees have the opportunity to be a "Tipping Point" for open source. MySQL employees are currently at the tip of the blade not the bleeding edge. Their vision can be a tremendous change agent for the IT industry. If the MySQL people focus on being great leaders and help define future directions of open source and continue to build new versions of the database open source can count on, then all will be good in the world of open source. Everyone on the Internet: Internet companies such as Google, Yahoo, YouTube, MySpace, bloggers, startup companies, individuals building their first website, hosting companies should all be rooting for the Sun acquisition of MySQL to be successful.