Thousands sign petition against Oracle’s ownership of MySQL
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Appeal to European Commission to force software giant to divest itself of open source database as it acquires Sun Microsystems attracts 14,000 signatures
A petition calling on the European Commission to block the software giant’s proposed acquisition of MySQL – as part of its bid to buy Sun Microsystems, which owns the company behind the open source database – has attracted 14,000 signatures.
The petition argues that were the control of the MySQL open source project fall into Oracle’s hands, it would cause a “fundamental conflict of interests between MySQL on the one hand and Oracle's high-priced products on the other hand”.
According to a press statement representing the ‘Help MySQL’ campaign, launched by the database software’s creator, Monty Widenius, the signatories include over 5,000 self-employed developers and 3,000 employees from organisations that use MySQL.
Widenius said in the statement that the response to the campaign demonstrates that those customers that have come out in support of Oracle’s bid “were only concerned about Sun's other business while our supporters show they care about MySQL. Our signatories don't have faith that Oracle could be a good steward of MySQL and they don't buy Oracle's empty promises at all.”
Meanwhile, Oracle has said that it is confident that it will receive regulatory approval from the European Commission.
