Posted 10/29/09 at 08:05:50 AM by Paul Lilly

While Oracle struggles to convince the European Union that acquiring the copyrights to the MySQL code base is in the best interest of all involved, Red Hat isn't waiting around to see if the deal gets sanctioned or not. Instead, the open-source outfit went and invested an unspecified amount in database vendor EnterpriseDB, InfoWorld.com reports.

"EnterpriseDB has clearly established itself as a leading enterprise Postgres company, which is why Red Hat has chosen to partner with and invest in the company. EnterpriseDB is also working to create customer value through a subscription support model. Clearly, this is a model we see as beneficial," said Jim Whitehurst, CEO of Red Hat.

The move is also a clear indication that Red Hat is worried about what would become of MySQL once under the reigns of Oracle. Red Hat owes much of its popularity as a server platform to users looking to run the free MySQL piggybacked on top of Red Hat. And no matter what Oracle is saying to the EU, there's a lingering fear that should the takeover go through, Oracle may end up weakening MySQL to prevent it from cutting into the sales of Oracle Database.

EnterpriseDB isn't as widely used as MySQL, though many consider it a better fit for larger enterprise workloads, and it has already been able to win over customers from Oracle. But it's also important to keep in mind that this is an investment, and not an acquisition.

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Posted 10/05/09 at 08:41:29 AM by Paul Lilly

Red Hat, the self proclaimed world's leading open source technology solutions provider, has a bone to pick with not just patent trolls, but shady software patents in general. As such, Red Hat has filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking to ban software patents.

"Red Hat continues its commitment to the free and open source software community by taking a strong position against bad software patents," Red Hat VP Rob Tiller said. "Our patent system is supposed to foster innovation but, for open source and software in general, it does the opposite."

Tiller went on to complain that software patents end up slowing and discouraging software innovation, arguing that "patent trolls" have exploited the current legal system by constructing lawsuits that further confuse the hundreds of thousands of patents that "cover abstract technology in vague and difficult-to-interpret terms."

Red Hat says oral arguments are scheduled for November 9, giving you plenty of time to read the full brief here (PDF).

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Posted 02/18/09 at 10:04:45 PM by Mark Edward Soper

Cnet's Matt Asay reports that Microsoft has decided to set up an interoperability alliance with Red Hat. In enterprise computing, virtualization is the name of the game, and virtualization is what this alliance is all about. Whether you're running Red Hat Enterprise virtualization technologies, Microsoft's Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V or Microsoft Hyper-V server, the interoperability agreement will enable Red Hat or Microsoft guest operating systems to run on any of these virtualization platforms and get technical support. For details, see the Red Hat website or the Microsoft TechNet blog announcement.

It will take time for Red Hat and Microsoft to validate server platforms for interoperability, and valid software support contracts are required. The best news for those of us who support enterprise-level virtualized platforms on Red Hat or Microsoft? No more finger-pointing, so you can spend your evenings winning your favorite frag-fest instead of playing pass-the-buck with operating system support staffs. 

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Posted 12/07/08 at 11:07:42 AM by Justin Kerr

Respected Open Source advocate, and CEO of Collaborative Software Stuart Cohen warns that the business model behind open source software companies is broken. And that the nature of these businesses will need to evolve in order to survive. In his article he explains how the traditional model in which companies would freely offer software, and make a living off the support is coming to an end. An end which is likely to be accelerated by the economic slowdown. He cautions open source designers to view the software as more of a means to an end.

As part of his argument, he claims the real value of open source software companies will come from those who can find ways to add value with supporting add-ons and applications. He uses Red Hat as an example of a company that adds significant value to the Linux kernel, and couldn’t survive on support alone. “Open-Soure code is generally great code, not requiring much support”. According to Cohen the true power of the open source community will be realized through the spirit of collaboration. “While the open-source business model may be broken, the concepts behind open source will continue to bring new value to customers and strong returns to software company stakeholders”.

So do you think the harsh economic climate will hurt or inspire the open source community? Hit the jump and let us know what you think.

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Posted 07/12/07 at 01:21:08 PM by Robert Strohmeyer

Dell isn't the only company offering good machines for Linux. Here are five other choices that you may not know about.

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