With its January 2010 acquisition of Sun Microsystems, Oracle gained the MySQL open source database management software (DBMS) platform for enterprise IT environments. MySQL is designed to let users ...

Two years later, MySQL was acquired for $1bn by Sun Microsystems, which in turn was bought by Oracle for $7.4bn in 2010. By then, some of the database's original creators had already left to ...

Oracle’s handling of MySQL has been closely watched by community members who use and help develop the database, which it acquired through the purchase of Sun Microsystems in 2010.

Oracle probably didn't understand MySQL well enough to want to buy the open-source start-up, now part of Sun. Like a knife and screwdriver, their products are complementary.

Oracle is determined to keep MySQL if it acquires Sun, but the reason likely has little to do with open source and everything to do with Microsoft. Oracle doesn't compete with open source. Not really.

eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More. Oracle announced the general availability of MySQL 5.5 ...