Re: [pgsql-advocacy] Oracle buys Innobase

On Fri, Oct 14, 2005 at 02:28:52PM -0700, Joshua D. Drake wrote:
>
> > But what if they came in sideways and bought Command Prompt?
>
> Well then I would be sitting on a beach in New Zealend with an umbrella
> drink :)
>
> > (As an
> > example.) You could do a lot more to destroy PostgreSQL's market in the
> > business world by destroying the various support mechanisms. Your
> > business is much closer to eating their lunch than PostgreSQL itself.
>
> That is a farily good point but one of the beautiful things about Open
> Source is that even if they bought Command Prompt, they would also have
> to buy Pervasive and EnterpriseDB and GreenPlum and SRA.
>
> And then -- by doing so they are just opening the market for a new set
> of companies to start supporting PostgreSQL.
>
> > So what if they bought Command Prompt (or someone else like it) and then
> > cut it off at the knees? No one ever accused Larry Ellison of being
> > dumb ... different strategies for different opponents.
>
> No, Larry isn't dumb. You don't get to be the second richest man in the
> world by being dumb. However he is very strategic and I don't see (at
> this point) a strategic reason to attack PostgreSQL via Oracle.
>
> PostgreSQL at this point is actually a good value add to the Oracle
> proposition. In 5 years we are probably going to be a immediate direct
> threat but not right now.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Joshua D. Drake
>
>
>
> >
> > Jeff
> >
> > ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> > TIP 6: explain analyze is your friend
> --
> Your PostgreSQL solutions company - Command Prompt, Inc. 1.800.492.2240
> PostgreSQL Replication, Consulting, Custom Programming, 24x7 support
> Managed Services, Shared and Dedicated Hosting
> Co-Authors: plPHP, plPerlNG - http://www.commandprompt.com/
>

The scenario that no one has mentioned wrt postgresql and oracle is
that oracle can take the source code, branch it or not and support it.
If they branch, it will have less credibility and it will become "interesting".
But support money from a big name company (Oracle) should be
forthcoming in either case.

Long term that does not help the support companies, like mine and those
mentioned above. Or maybe it does because we're smaller and faster.

--elein
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