The Monumental Acquisition
In January 2010, the European Commission cleared Oracle's $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems. This merger is one of the most significant consolidations in IT history, combining Sun's hardware (SPARC, Sun Fire) and software portfolio (Java, Solaris, MySQL) with Oracle's enterprise software dominance.
For enterprise developers, the key question is: What happens to Java?
The Java Stewardship Conundrum
Java is the backbone of enterprise computing. Under Sun, it was managed with a community-first focus. Now, Oracle's stewardship raises questions:
- ◆Commercial Licensing: Will Oracle aggressively monetize Java tools and commercial JVM features?
- ◆OpenJDK Governance: Will community contributions to OpenJDK remain open and unhindered?
- ◆JCP (Java Community Process): Will the standards body maintain its independence?
Oracle has promised to invest in Java, but the developer community remains watchful.
The MySQL Dilemma
Perhaps the most contentious point is MySQL. As the world's most popular open-source relational database, it was Sun's crown jewel. Oracle owns the leading proprietary database. Having both under one roof is a major antitrust concern.
Many fear that Oracle will under-invest in MySQL to protect its flagship database product, prompting early forks like MariaDB by Monty Widenius.
Enterprise Database Ramifications
For enterprise architectures, this means:
- 1.Deeper integration between Oracle Middleware (WebLogic) and Sun's JVM.
- 2.Solaris remaining a premium tier OS for Oracle databases.
- 3.Relational DBMS strategies shifting as Oracle tightens its grip on both ends of the market.