“Oracle claims that it would take good care of MySQL but let’s face the facts: Unlike ten years ago, when MySQL was mostly just used for the web, it has become very functional, scalable and credible. Now it’s used in many of the world’s largest companies and they use it for an increasing number of purposes. This not only scares but actually hurts Oracle every day,” stated MySQL founder Monty Widenius. “Oracle have [sic] to lower prices all the time to compete with MySQL when companies start new projects. Some companies even migrate existing projects from Oracle to MySQL to save money. Of course Oracle has a lot more features, but MySQL can already do a lot of things for which Oracle is often used and helps people save a lot of money. Over time MySQL can do to Oracle what the originally belittled Linux did to commercial Unix (roughly speaking).”

Monty added that Oracle has not promised to keep MySQL under an open license. He also said that Oracle does not promise to update patches in a timely manner for MySQL or to improve the open source database language to compete with Oracle’s own offerings. Oracle responded to Monty in the form of a press release where they insisted the proper maintenance of MySQL. Below is the full press release:

Oracle Makes Commitments to Customers, Developers and Users of MySQL

REDWOOD SHORES, CA–(Marketwire – December 14, 2009) – Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) has engaged in constructive discussions with the European Commission regarding the concerns expressed by the Commission about the Oracle/Sun Microsystems transaction, and in particular the maintenance of MySQL as a competitive force in the database market.

In order further to reassure the Commission, Oracle hereby publicly commits to the following:

1. Continued Availability of Storage Engine APIs. Oracle shall maintain and periodically enhance MySQL’s Pluggable Storage Engine Architecture to allow users the flexibility to choose from a portfolio of native and third party supplied storage engines.

MySQL’s Pluggable Storage Engine Architecture shall mean MySQL’s current practice of using, publicly-available, documented application programming interfaces to allow storage engine vendors to “plug” into the MySQL database server. Documentation shall be consistent with the documentation currently provided by Sun.

2. Non-assertion. As copyright holder, Oracle will change Sun’s current policy and shall not assert or threaten to assert against anyone that a third party vendor’s implementations of storage engines must be released under the GPL because they have implemented the application programming interfaces available as part of MySQL’s Pluggable Storage Engine Architecture.

A commercial license will not be required by Oracle from third party storage engine vendors in order to implement the application programming interfaces available as part of MySQL’s Pluggable Storage Engine Architecture.

Oracle shall reproduce this commitment in contractual commitments to storage vendors who at present have a commercial license with Sun.

3. License commitment. Upon termination of their current MySQL OEM Agreement, Oracle shall offer storage vendors who at present have a commercial license with Sun an extension of their Agreement on the same terms and conditions for a term not exceeding December 10, 2014.

Oracle shall reproduce this commitment in contractual commitments to storage vendors who at present have a commercial license with Sun.

4. Commitment to enhance MySQL in the future under the GPL. Oracle shall continue to enhance MySQL and make subsequent versions of MySQL, including Version 6, available under the GPL. Oracle will not release any new, enhanced version of MySQL Enterprise Edition without contemporaneously releasing a new, also enhanced version of MySQL Community Edition licensed under the GPL. Oracle shall continue to make the source code of all versions of MySQL Community Edition publicly available at no charge.

5. Support not mandatory. Customers will not be required to purchase support services from Oracle as a condition to obtaining a commercial license to MySQL.

6. Increase spending on MySQL research and development. Oracle commits to make available appropriate funding for the MySQL continued development (GPL version and commercial version). During each of the next three years, Oracle will spend more on research and development (R&D) for the MySQL Global Business Unit than Sun spent in its most recent fiscal year (USD 24 million) preceding the closing of the transaction.

7. MySQL Customer Advisory Board. No later than six months after the anniversary of the closing, Oracle will create and fund a customer advisory board, including in particular end users and embedded customers, to provide guidance and feedback on MySQL development priorities and other issues of importance to MySQL customers.

8. MySQL Storage Engine Vendor Advisory Board. No later than six months after the anniversary of the closing, Oracle will create and fund a storage engine vendor advisory board, to provide guidance and feedback on MySQL development priorities and other issues of importance to MySQL storage engine vendors.

9. MySQL Reference Manual. Oracle will continue to maintain, update and make available for download at no charge a MySQL Reference Manual similar in quality to that currently made available by Sun.

10. Preserve Customer Choice for Support. Oracle will ensure that end-user and embedded customers paying for MySQL support subscriptions will be able to renew their subscriptions on an annual or multi-year basis, according to the customer’s preference.

The geographic scope of these commitments shall be worldwide and these commitments shall continue until the fifth anniversary of the closing of the transaction.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about Oracle, Sun and MySQL, including statements that involve risks and uncertainties such as the satisfaction of conditions to closing the transaction, including clearance of the transaction by the European Commission. When used in this press release, the words “shall,” “plans,” “commits” and “will” and other similar expressions and any other statements that are not historical facts are intended to identify those assertions as forward-looking statements. Any such statement is subject to a number of potential risks and uncertainties, which may include, among others, the possibility that the transaction will not be cleared by relevant regulatory authorities, the transaction may not otherwise close or that the closing of the proposed transaction may be further delayed and the possibility that Oracle or Sun may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that the European Commission will clear the transaction, that the closing will transpire or occur, or if these events occur, what impact they will have on the results of operations or financial condition of Oracle or Sun.

In addition, please refer to the documents that Oracle and Sun, respectively, file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K for additional risks. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Neither Oracle nor Sun is under any duty to update any of the information in this press release.

About Oracle
Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world’s largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

Trademark
Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

So why is Monty leaving now? Basically he is unhappy the way that MySQL is being handled by Sun.  He believes that he can make more meaningful contributions to the open source database software outside of the company.  MySQL AB was started by Mony and David Axmark around 1995.  Last year MySQL 5.1 was released with some fata bugs.  Monty believed it was ready to be shipped at the time and wrote a blog post about it.

One of the names that Monty called out for the MySQL problems is Mårten Mickos, SVP of Sun’s database group.  Mickos has served as the former CEO of MySQL AB from Jan. 2001 until the time that the company was acquired.

“Sun and I concluded in the end that I have much higher chances of achieving my goals outside of Sun, so it’s just better to swallow the bitter apple, go out and get things going. We parted in good terms and we both expect to continue to do business and work together,” wrote Monty on his blog.  “I would have like to see the server development to be moved to a true open development environment that would encourage outside participation and without any need of differentiation on the source code. Sun has been considering opening up the server development, but the pace has been too slow.”