Oracle wins mySQL but opponents do not admit defeat

Oracle can have Sun, and mySQL, the European Commission has ruled.

Opponents of the deal like Florian Mueller are holding out hope that China or Russia can derail it, as he wrote me this morning Atlanta time:

Oracle still needs clearance from the Chinese and Russian antitrust authorities and it's a matter of respect not to consider this process finished until those major jurisdictions have also taken and announced their decisions.

Maybe, but these companies only have sales representation in Russia and China, possibly some technical people. Financially the units involved are American and European.

I don't think Russia or China is getting involved. Unless China wants to make a point in its ongoing fight with Google, which is an iron clad leave to yourself from a three-rail billiard shot. (If they do, in other words, ya got trouble right here in River City.)

The EC decided that PostgreSQL is a creditable alternative to mySQL and could replace it in the market if Oracle decides to ditch the product. (Ingres certainly hopes so.) The commission also holds out hope for a fork of mySQL, again should Oracle not invest in it.

The case file also looked at Java, concluding that its community can be an effective check against anything Oracle might want to do with the technology that people don't like.

After all the rhetoric that has gone out from this side of the pond toward Europe, the final report seems to be all that Larry Ellison could ask for. Would he have gotten his way without all the screaming?

We'll never know.