Oracle seeks to build bridges with MySQL developers • The Register

Oracle is taking steps to “repair” its relationship with the MySQL community, according to sources, by moving “commercial-only” features into the database application’s Community Edition and prioritizing developer needs.

The “new era” was discussed at a pre-FOSDEM MySQL and Friends event in Belgium. According to a summary seen by The Register, it focused on reinvigorating the MySQL community after a period under Big Red’s watch in which the project’s headcount fell and developers considered alternatives to the venerable database.

Structural changes were also mentioned, with the MySQL group moving into Oracle’s cloud group.

Oracle’s presentation leaned heavily on promises, including moving features previously limited to the commercial edition into the community version of the application. Key features on their way to the Community Edition include vector functions, which are considered critical for AI workloads.

Big Red may have a few fences to mend. Earlier this month, developers held a meeting in San Francisco regarding management of the project. Peter Zaitsev, a Percona co-founder and MySQL performance expert, was worried about the project’s direction. “They are moving more and more features to their cloud and enterprise software,” he said, “but they have not done anything drastic. The result for the MySQL community, though, is not great.”

An Oracle representative attended the event, and Big Red appears to have responded to some developer concerns. The database giants says its “new era” aims to avoid the fragmentation of the MySQL user base seen in other projects, such as Redis.

Is it too little, too late? Suspicious or tired of Oracle’s stewardship of the MySQL project, some developers have either migrated or are considering migrating to alternative platforms. However, some of the faithful are prepared to give Oracle a chance.

Zaitsev told The Register: “After the event this week it is great to see Oracle taking steps to repair its relationships with the MySQL community and working to restart innovation around MySQL Community Edition.”

But he cautioned: “At this point, the list is a collection of promises with only a small level of detail around how those promises will work in practice.

“I am very much looking forward to seeing valuable new features open sourced, real community involvement in MySQL’s governance, and how Oracle will help support the MySQL ecosystem at large, including involving companies they consider competitors. If they get that right, we could see the MySQL community benefit as a whole.” The Register has asked Oracle to comment. ®