What Will Oracle Do About Sun Now?

The European Union has made the feelings known officially. It does not like the idea of Oracle purchasing Sun. The reason is said to be because Sun’s MySQL database would be purposely limited, and that would be unfair.

That would seem to eliminate the purchase of Sun by IBM, as IBM also has a database, DB2. Perhaps since DB2 is not as big on the PC architecture, that might make a difference.

Still, one might think that Oracle might let MySQL go, and let it become a part of the Open Source community (really a part, as in completely unencumbered by anything Sun), rather than give up on all those Sun servers to run Oracle.

Maximum PC tells that Sun was not shy about the fact that MySQL was controlled by no one person, or entity, other than the Open Source community at large.

Coming as a surprise to absolutely no one, the European Union on Monday formally objected to Oracle’s proposed takeover of Sun. The EU’s hard stance could throw a wrench in the $7.4 billion deal that had already been approved by U.S. officials.

The sole sticking point for the EU is that the deal would give Oracle control over Sun’s free MySQL database software. Because Oracle sells its own database software, the EU fears the company would purposely hamstring MySQL in order to boost its own sales.

“The Commission’s Statement of Objections reveals a profound misunderstanding of both database competition and open source dynamics,” Oracle said in response to the objection. “It is well understood by those knowledgeable about open source software that because MykSQL is open source, it cannot be controlled by anyone. That is the whole point of open source.”

Oracle will have an opportunity to respond to the EU’s objections before it makes its final ruling on the deal by January 19. Even then, should the EU outright reject the deal, Oracle could file an appeal. The alternative is to back out of acquistion, which would cost Oracle a $260 million breakup fee, the Wall Street Journal reports.

So will Oracle capitulate to the EU demands? If not, $260 million is quite a blow to any company in the current economy. Is there another, as yet unspoken company ready to jump in with the big bucks?

The deal looked so sweet, with Oracle gaining control over the Sun servers that would power its database. Is that all gone?

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1483

Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation, was born in Eisleben, Germany.

1775

The U.S. Marines were organized under authority of the Continental Congress. [Hoo yah!]

1871

Journalist-explorer Henry M. Stanley found missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone in central Africa and delivered his famous greeting: “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

1919

The American Legion held its first national convention, in Minneapolis.

1928

Hirohito was enthroned as Emperor of Japan.

1938

Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” on network radio. [It had to be on radio, because they did not have large enough wide-angle lenses for television just yet.]

1942

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, discussing the recent victory over Rommel at El Alamein, Egypt, said “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

1951

Direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone service began as Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, N.J., called his counterpart in Alameda, Calif.

1954

The Iwo Jima Memorial was dedicated in Arlington, Va.

1969

“Sesame Street” debuted on PBS.

1975

The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution equating Zionism with racism.

1975

The ore-hauling ship Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a storm in Lake Superior. All 29 crew members died. [Immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot!]

1982

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev died at age 75.

1997

A judge in Cambridge, Mass., reduced Louise Woodward’s murder conviction to manslaughter and sentenced the English au pair to the 279 days she’d already served in the death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen.

1997

WorldCom Inc. and MCI Communications Corp. agreed to a $37 billion merger.

2001

The World Trade Organization approved China’s membership.

2004

President George W. Bush nominated White House counsel Alberto Gonzales to be attorney general, succeeding John Ashcroft.

2007

Six U.S. troops died in an insurgent ambush, making 2007 the deadliest year for American forces in Afghanistan since 2001.

2007

Author Norman Mailer died at age 84.

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So the big winners on this day were children (Sesame Street), guys who like bad hair cuts (The Marines), and Hirohito [Emperor of Japan]!

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