The Software Cartels Bane: MySQL and Open Source

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The Software Cartels BaneMySQL and Open Source
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Database

• Generic data warehouses that are customarily
  designed by users to save information in an
  organized and useful way
• Data backbones for most industrial embedded
  software and web pages
• Without robust database engines, e-commerce would
  not be possible

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Examples
SQL Server
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MySQL AB

• Open Source
• Swedish firm founded by David Axmark, Allan
  Larsson and Michael "Monty" Widenius

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Thesis

• Open source software, particularly MySQL, can and
  will dominate the software market in the near
  future.

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MySQLs product is more valuable than its
competitors

• Free, or at the very least, extremely cheap
• "Companies find the quality of mainstream
  open-source products like Linux and MySQL to be
  at least equal to that of commercial
  alternatives." (Kirkpatrick 92)
• MySQL sells a competitive product significantly
  below market value.

7
Open source software, such as MySQL, can produce
profits

• Individual sales are small however, the expenses
  involved are minimal.
• Free labor
• Free does all the selling MySQL needs
• Revenues doubled to 12.6 million in 2003 second
  year in a row
• Operated at a profitable basis at the end of last
  year

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MySQLs competitors will loss their market share
at this rate

• Open source software undersells other commercial
  software
• Strategy
• Take every single potential customer away from
  the competition
• Nickel and dime the masses that have downloaded
  MySQL
• Microsoft, IBM and Oracles products are
  overpriced

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MySQL and other open source software providers
will revolutionize and dominate the IT industry.

• MySQL will not necessarily bankrupt Bill Gates
  any time soon, but the once invincible database
  engine cartel has a new and powerful threat. The
  owners and customers of MySQL will prosper under
  the practice open source software.

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Works Cited

• Darrow, Barbara. Is MySQL Quietly Lowering the
  Odds? Computer Reseller News. 26 May 2003.
• Kirkpatrick, David. How The Open-Source World
  Plans To Smack Down Microsoft, And Oracle,
  And... Fortune. 23 Feb. 2004.
• Langley, Nick. Open source database advantages.
  Computer Weekly. 25 Nov. 2003.
• MySQL Doubles Revenues Again MySQL 5.0 Alpha
  Debuts. Linux Gram. 19 Jan. 2004.
• Organtini, Giovanni and Luciano M. Barone. The
  REDACLE Work-Flow Management System. Linux
  Journal. Feb. 2004.