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My summarizing and opining post discussing MySQL founder Michael Widenius’ protest of the Sun purchase by Oracle prompted a response from none other than Monty himself. Hit the comments to see what he has to say about my response, which was definitely net-negative in the final analysis. I have responded in the comments of that post as well.

I must be moving up in the world, or Monty was just really bored over his Christmas vacation.

Here’s wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas. If you haven’t already, enjoy the best Christmas song to come along more than a decade:

In case you haven’t heard, Sun is being bought by Oracle. After dancing around the issue in blog posts over the past 8 months, MySQL developer-founder Michael “Monty” Widenius finally comes out and adamantly opposes MySQL’s role in the sale.

In a Dec. 12 blog post, Widenius tries to rally open source MySQL supporters in an effort to seek assurances from Oracle that the project will, in fact, stay open source. He makes a good case for a future Oracle decision to limit or close off the open source elements:

Oracle [has] to lower prices all the time to compete with MySQL when companies start new projects. Some companies even migrate existing projects from Oracle to MySQL to save money. Of course Oracle has a lot more features, but MySQL can already do a lot of things for which Oracle is often used…So I just don’t buy it that Oracle will be a good home for MySQL. A weak MySQL is worth about one billion dollars per year to Oracle, maybe more. A strong MySQL could never generate enough income for Oracle that they would want to cannibalize their real cash cow.

Anyone who’s loosely familiar with open source software knows that the community can execute the almighty fork, just pick up the code and go. But Widenius believes the code is only a portion of the equation, and that the economy around MySQL is vastly more important. Richard Stallman penned a letter in conjunction with Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) and the Open Rights Group (ORG) that succinctly describes the issue:

MySQL is made available to the public in two parallel ways. Most users obtain it as free/libre software under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2; the code is released in this way gratis. MySQL is also available under a different, proprietary license for a fee.

This approach was able to provide (1) an attractive platform for developers looking to use FLOSS, and secured MySQL enormous mind share, particularly in supporting content rich web pages and other Internet applications, and (2) the ability for paying clientèle to combine and distribute MySQL in customizations that they do not want to make available to the public as free/libre software under the GPL. With excellent management and considerable trust within the user community, MySQL became the gold standard for web based FLOSS database applications.

Bolding my emphasis, which is the key here. Most MySQL users don’t need licenses, for two reasons. First, other OSS projects naturally play very nicely with MySQL’s matching open source license. Second, websites that use proprietary code in conjunction with MySQL are clear because nothing is actually distributed, users simply visit a site. My company Fwd:Vault is a perfect example.

The remaining clients, who write software that gets distributed (think boxed software in a store), must utilize MySQL’s second, fee-based proprietary license. This is where the money is, and is the true engine that has powered MySQL’s rise over the last 20 years.

As any business owner can tell you, replicating a strong consumer base and community climate is nearly impossible. “If it would be easy to take over MySQL by just forking it,” says Widenius, “Sun would never have bought MySQL and Oracle would have forked MySQL a long time ago instead of now trying to buy it as part of the SUN deal.”

Now this whole system get’s handed to Oracle, who has a directly competing product and feels major price pressure due to MySQL’s free offering. I agree with Widenius on the eventual outcome, but he doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on here. He sold MySQL AB to Sun, and they can do whatever they want with it. If Sun gets swallowed by Oracle, MySQL goes alogn with it. That’s how businesses work. He can argue all day that the Sun deal was predicated on their track record for positively supporting FLOSS projects, but his control over MySQL’s future was out the door the moment the Sun deal was closed.

I’m a huge OSS proponent, but I’m a capitalist first. If the EC doesn’t find the sale to be monopolistic — keep in mind the USDOJ already approved the deal — then I wish Oracle the best of luck with their new purchase.

That being said, capitalism favors the huge MySQL install base in the longer term. If Oracle removes MySQL “the open source database” from the OSS environment, they’re going to leave a massive hole in the market, a hole that cannot be filled with Oracle’s overpriced high-end database software. A new product will rise to fill the void. Maybe it will be a MySQL fork, maybe it will be something new, but it will happen. MySQL did it once, why can’t someone else do it again?

And when you acknowledge the likelihood of that potential outcome, it makes Widenius’ entire protest seem self-interested. He’s not necessarily concerned with the open source database community, but his position within it. I have no doubt that his intentions are at least in part altruistic — replacing MySQL would be a torturous process — but I’m sure he’d rather see his baby leading the pack than some neophyte.

In short, if he’s just trying to protect his turf, is his mindset really any different from Oracle?

For me, the entire issue is summarized in the introduction of his protest post, “I have spent the last 27 years creating and working on MySQL and I hope, together with my team of MySQL core developers, to work on it for many more years.”

If that was the case, you shouldn’t have sold it off in the first place.

I was just perusing ThinkGeek for Christmas gift ideas when I noticed that the overflow graphics — the stuff that appears to left and right of the main content at larger screen resolutions — was different depending on where you scrolled. At the top it showed robots, and zombies at the bottom. Check it out for yourself, the homepage has it.

Cool, right? Here’s how they did it. First, the robot and zombies elements are actually all in one image. The following image is set as the CSS background-image for <div id="fancywrapper">…

http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/sitewide/backgrounds/robozombies7.png

Note the color differences in the elements. Now look at the background-image for the <div id="wrapper"> tag…

http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/sitewide/backgrounds/bodytilebottom-tall.jpg

It’s really tough to see in the image by itself, but there’s a color transition in effect here, the bottom is full black (like the robots), and the top is a dark gray (like the zombies). Don’t believe me? Hook up the Colorzilla Firefox add-on and scan the image from top to bottom.

This image is then locked to the bottom of the screen and repeated across the base of the page (background-position:left bottom; background-repeat:repeat-x;). The upper areas of the page, past the height of bodytilebottom-tall.jpg, get background color from the <body> tag, which matches the dark gray of bodytilebottom-tall.jpg. The final effect is a seamless visual transition from dark gray up top to black at the very bottom.

To get the robots and zombies into place, it’s simple CSS definitions to place it at the bottom (background-attachment:fixed; background-position:center bottom; background-repeat:repeat-x;).

Finally, with robozombies7.png locked into position on the screen, over top of a scroll-enabled bodytilebottom-tall.jpg, we get the fade effect as the user scrolls the towards the bottom of the page.

Like I said, cool, right?

P.S. Want to break down site layouts and effects yourself? You need 3 things…

• Mozilla Firefox
• Firebug add-on
• Web Developer toolbar

A friend passed along his latest recommendation for USB sticks, the Patriot Xporter XT Boost 4GB Flash Drive (newegg link). Rugged exterior, and apparently legendary transfer speeds.

New Egg is always my first stop due to the fantastic user reviews. I was sold on this one when I read the following review…

Pros: Like everyone else says the transfer rates are amazing, but what I look for in a drive is survivability. This thing has survived 3 runs through the washer machine!!!
Cons: It is a lint magnet.
Other Thoughts: Running it through the washing machine will clean all the lint off of it.

Really, what else do you need to know?

I ran into the Youth Minister for my high school youth group at a friend’s wedding a few weeks back, and he graciously offered me the opportunity to write a letter to be read aloud at an upcoming retreat to the high school attendees. I was more than happy to oblige.

Below is an excerpt of that letter that I thought would apply to anyone in high school or college, just getting your feet under you, just as life prepares to pull out the rug.

If you’re in that target audience, I truly hope you find something worthwhile here. If, like me, this special time has come and gone for you, what would you tell your past self? I’d love to hear what it is in the comments.

I’d like to pass on a bit of advice. Not the fluffy “sieze the future” nonsense you‘ll get at your graduation, but real practical advice that you can use today, right now in fact. I asked myself, “If I could go back in time to when I was 15, 16, 17 years old, and give myself that sage knowledge that only shows up in hindsight, what would I say?” This is what I came up with…

• First things first: the winning Powerball numbers on November 18, 1998 will be
  21 – 25 – 33 – 39 – 46, Powerball 18
• Frank, at 17, you’re still just a kid. Heck, at 21 you’ll still be just a kid. That’s okay. There’s plenty of time to be an adult. And no, going to school, doing homework, and taking tests does not count as responsibility. It’s nothing compared to the stress you’ll feel when you’ve got bills to pay and a family to care for. Enjoy the complete lack of responsibility while it lasts, just remember that you have just enough knowledge to be dangerous.
• Here’s the biggest secret of high school: all the other kids are all worrying about what everyone else thinks of them too! Everyone is ridiculously self-conscious, and these feelings affect everyone differently. It’s the reason why you see others become divas, bullies, introverts, goths, emo’s, anti-trenders, etc. Be confident in yourself, because how you feel is exactly how everyone around you feels. That’s the key to genuine popularity in high school, and we all figure it out after the fact. Fortunately, being mindful that we’re all in the same boat is also the key to building long-lasting relationships throughout your life, so the lesson doesn’t go to waste. Still, I always wanted to be popular in high school. For a great example of this mindset in action, go re-watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
• You end up meeting your wife early senior year of college, right after you take a personal pledge to finally give up worrying about relationships. So quit worrying! Dating is fun and exciting, but dwelling on that relationship can swallow you up, and there’s so much more to do, learn, see, and enjoy right now. Of all the people you’ll meet throughout your life, so far you have only met two couples who knew each other in high school.
• I know it’s really hard to believe right now, but your parents aren’t as dumb as they seem. They actually get a whole lot of what you’re going through, but talking about it in a candid manner with you right now kinda mucks up the parent-child relationship, since it requires them to bring up their own past mistakes. When you have that conversation with Mom on your first college break about drinking and partying, you’ll understand. For now, trust that they always have your best interests at heart, and never hesitate to ask them questions. As much as I hate telling myself this, the only dumb one in that relationship right now is you.
• Late senior year, an Adult Leader named Arnold told you and bunch of your friends that, quote, “By the time you graduate, who you are — your personality — is essentially who you will be for the rest of your life.” It’s some of the best insight you’ll ever get when it comes to dealing with people, including yourself. So if there’s something you’re not happy with — your tendency to be critical of others comes to mind — get working on it right now. You know those jerks in your life, the bullies who you wish would just grow up? Most of them never will, and you’ll meet all new idiots in college and out in the workplace, and they’ll all look the same. These people are a reality, so just start ignoring them right now. On a positive note, the laid back attitude that you’ve fostered will help you through many a tough spot, including an agonizing all-nighter at your first big job when the servers crashed.
• One of the big reasons Arnold’s advice is so good, is the corollary to it that you discover in college: your decisions matter. All of them. Profoundly. Sex, drugs, drinking, drunk driving, skipping classes, anything illegal…these actions can never truly be undone, and you will carry them with you for the rest of your life. Choose carefully. So far you’ve done okay, but you’ll meet plenty of people who were less fortunate. No, let’s be honest here, “less fortunate” isn’t the right term. “Stupid” is more apt. Don’t be stupid.
• Don’t fear failure. Be more afraid of missing opportunities due to fear of failure. You’ll see lots of examples where the big difference between wild success and mediocrity is simply showing up. On a related note, you do finally start your own business, just like you’ve always told yourself you would. You’ve been working out of your basement for about a year now, and the business itself isn’t profitable yet, but you’re getting there. The experience is every bit as awesome as you expected.
• Don’t blink. It’s really easy to keep looking forward to the next milestone. Finishing a school year, getting your driver’s license, being able to vote…life keeps going at the same pace, and later on you only wish it would slow down. Senior years of both high school and college go particularly fast for you. Enjoy every day, even the lousy ones. Like I said, you really don’t have any responsibility right now.
• One last thing, when you go to return your graduation tuxedo, drive really carefully. This old man abruptly hits the brakes on you and you rear-end him.

That’s what I’d want to tell myself anyway, but hopefully you’ll find something useful in there too.