Mysql competition by Amazon

I wrote at several occasions, that this “Oracle purchase of Sun will limit database competition” isn’t true as you can easily fork mysql and do your own development. Matt Asay has the same opinion and points to recently launched service by Amazon to substantiate his opinion:

The European Commission must be feeling a bit silly right about now. Despite insisting that Oracle has not responded to its requests for comment and concessions in its planned acquisition of Sun Microsystems (and the open-source database MySQL), Amazon.com recently offered the EC all the proof it needs that MySQL competition remains alive and well.[....]Oracle hasn't even started with MySQL yet, and it already faces significant competition, not to mention the other MySQL forks (e.g., Drizzle).

I think the steps of Amazon are a nice proof for the successful forkability of Mysql. Take the stuff, make a business out of it and make money. The more i think about this while situation, the more i think it’s just a interest of a single person that blocks a merger that is good for everyone in IT. Nobody can be interested in IBM getting stronger (okay, of course: beside IBM), due to the FUD surrounding the situation of the Sun/Oracle merger. But this is the consequence at the moment.