There has been much said about why Oracle acquired Sun, how it will be the demise of the free world and produce a one-world database monopoly. While there is probably a little truth in the statement, after all what company wouldn’t want to have exclusivity with a customer base, we should keep in mind and understand that much of what is happening can be beneficial for the end customer. And while there probably is some good debate about how close Oracle actually is to providing a complete system stack the end result is that Oracle benefits, customers benefit, and other third-party vendors will benefit—ultimately providing more choices for customers.
1. Open-source databases have gained ground. It doesn’t matter if you think Oracle will get rid of, improve, or keep the same MySQL we have all grown to love over the years. What matters is that other open-source databases have noticeably gained significant ground and are becoming more recognized.
2. NoSQL is a viable alternative. Ok, while a relational database and NoSQL are not on the same playing field, the whole Oracle/Sun acquisition has provided an opportunity for organizations to look hard at alternatives to MySQL and whether a relational database is the right fit for their given application at all.
3. Java. Need I say more? Oracle has come straight out and said that "Java is one of the computer industry's best-known brands and most widely deployed technologies, and it is the most important software Oracle has ever acquired" and that "Oracle Fusion middleware, Oracle's fastest growing business, is built on top of Sun's Java language and software. Oracle can now ensure continued innovation and investment in Java technology for the benefit of customers and the Java community."
4. Open-source community should benefit. Regardless of what anyone says, I don’t believe Oracle is the great open-source killer. Oracle has been involved within the open-source community and to a larger extent than Sun at times.
