Oracle should sell MySQL, says founder

MySQL founder Michael Widenius backs the EU's antitrust concerns

The founder of the open-source MySQL database said on Monday that the European Commission (EC) is right to have anti-trust concerns over Oracle's proposed $7.4bn (£4.5bn) acquisition of Sun Microsystems.

In a blog post Michael 'Monty' Widenius, who created MySQL in 1994 and sold it to Sun four years later, urged Oracle to commit to selling the database so that the takeover can go ahead.

"All the best, but MySQL needs a different home than Oracle, a home where there will be no conflicts of interest," he said.

Oracle competitors such as IBM, and analyst firms like Gartner, have described the purchase delay as unsettling for Sun customers wanting to buy hardware and software, because the vendor's priorities may change after the merger.

MySQL was the only Sun business unit to be mentioned in the EC's early September announcement of its in-depth investigation into the proposed takeover.

Widenius was part of a movement which began in August calling for the EC to investigate the merger.

Also part of the movement has been Florian Müller, a MySQL and European Union (EU) affairs expert. In a report, Müller added to Widenius's criticisms of the deal and scolded Oracle for not taking action on the EC's concerns.

"Every day that passes without Oracle excluding MySQL from the deal is further evidence that Oracle just wants to get rid of its open-source challenger, and that the EU's investigation is needed to safeguard innovation and customer choice," he said.

However, Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison said at the firm's OpenWorld customer and partner event in San Francisco last week, that he will not kill off MySQL and will in fact increase investment in its development.

Oracle could not immediately provide comment on the remarks from Widenius and Müller.