Oracle Completes Stage One Of Operation Open Source Buyout
from the open-source-database?--check dept
In what may have been one of Silicon Valley's worst-kept secrets, Oracle has now officially completed its buyout of Sleepycat, makers of a somewhat well regarded open source database. If you've been reading the rumors, this is only the smallest open source buyout of the triumvirate the company is working on (with Zend and JBoss being the other two). It's no secret that Oracle is looking for growth-through-rollup, but the open source part of the strategy is still making some wonder what the company's strategy really will be. It's smart in that the company recognizes that open source technologies really do impact its market -- but it's not clear how Oracle will deal with a very different type of business model, which could directly cannibalize some of its own existing sales. It's easy to talk a good game about how the two can co-exist, but having your salesforce actually live it is a different story. If it goes well, however, it could be a case study for companies facing disruptive upstarts who recognize that "free" can often represent a realistic business model. Update: In other news, Om Malik points out that Oracle has also bought VoIP provider HotSiP. Must be a fun time to be working in M&A at Oracle...
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Ummmmm
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They probably will. They just don't want to scare the SleepyCat people into jumping ship before they have a chance to assimilate them.... or at least close out their books and payables.
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I wonder what they're up to.
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Re: Ummmmm
Rex Wang
VP Marketing
Sleepycat Software
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sleepy cat
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