MariaDB Creators Launch Non-Profit Foundation
New organization will oversee interoperability and standards for the popular open source database.
MySQL (and MariaDB) creators Michael “Monty” Widenius, David Axmark, and Allan Larsson, announce the launch of the MariaDB foundation. The new foundation, which has applied for non-profit status in the United States, has received one million Euros in initial backing. According to the announcement, the founders will appoint board members and confirm bylaws in February 2013.
According to its mission statement, the MariaDB Foundation exists “to improve database technology, including standards implementation, interoperability with other databases, and building bridges to other types of database, such as transactional and NoSQL.”
Sun Microsystems purchased the parent company of the open-source MySQL project in 2008, and the ownership passed to Oracle when Oracle purchased Sun in 2009. MariaDB began as a fork of the popular MySQL when a group of core developers objected to Oracle’s management policies.
According to David Axmark, “MariaDB continues the project started 18 years ago when we founded MySQL, with code maintained by the same dedicated core team. The time is right for an independent organization to safeguard the interests of MariaDB users and developers as we head towards MariaDB 10.”
Formation of the MariaDB Foundation follows recent concern expressed by Monty Widenius about the future of MySQL. In an interview with The Register, Widenius said he was concerned that if Oracle breached commitments made to European regulators in 2009 during its purchase of Sun Microsystems, it could produce an irreconcilable fork: “with MySQL at Oracle going one way and those extending MySQL – such as Widenius’s MariaDB and Facebook and Twitter – going another.”
An article in The Register notes that, among other commitments, Oracle agreed not to release “any new, enhanced version of MySQL Enterprise Edition without releasing a new, also enhanced version of MySQL Community Edition licensed under the GPL.” However, the article stated that, in September, Oracle released three extensions for the MySQL Enterprise edition only.
The article quotes Widenius as saying: “If MySQL was broken we would try to get people engaged. In open source, being part of the ecosystem drives development.”
You can find the announcement from MariaDB at: http://blog.mariadb.org/ and read the article from The Register .
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The GNU Project Celebrates Its 40th Birthday
September 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the GNU Project, and it was celebrated with a hacker meeting in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.