Oracle took control of the MySQL database effort through its acquisition of Sun Microsystems, but it’s hardly the only game in town. SkySQL is the latest initiative to offer open source support for MySQL, potentially rivaling Oracle’s own tools.
But the leaders of SkySQL, which include many former MySQL executives, insist that they are not setting out to create an entirely new distribution in a fork, but rather are offering a cluster of services and support staked to the MariaDB database. Database Journal takes a look.
The market for MySQL open source database support is getting more competitive thanks to the entry of SkySQL. The new startup is staffed with a number of former MySQL executives in a bid to provide an alternative to software giant Oracle, which now owns and leads the MySQL database project.
SkySQL is providing services and support around MySQL and the derivative MariaDB database led by MySQL founder Monty Widenius. SkySQL will not however be building its own version of MySQL in some sort of forked project. Oracle is currently dealing with a fork to its OpenOffice open source software suite.