Sun Microsystems merges with Oracle

Sun Microsystems gets acquired by Oracle. This is the hot news making rounds on the net. This is a news which could have wide ramifications for the Open Source crowd. Why? Because Sun Microsystems creates some of the most well received, robust open source software around. Just to put it in perspective, let me list some of them which come to my mind.

• MySQL - The most widely used database online.
• Java - Was released under an Open source license.
• OpenSolaris - The free as in beer and freedom UNIX operating system.
• OpenOffice.org - The robust office suite which is a part and parcel of any Linux distribution.
• VirtualBox - The virtualization software that most open source enthusiasts have grown to love.
• Netbeans - The Java IDE
• Sun xVM Server - The open source virtualization software for data centers.
  

Sun Microsystems is no doubt a pro open source company. Will it stay that way under its new master namely Oracle ? Only time will tell.

The following is the official press release from Oracle. And read the press release from Sun Microsystems. The transaction is valued at approximately $7.4 billion.

The following is a nice video showcasing the legacy of Sun Microsystems.

Unbreakable Linux - Free Linux DVD set from Oracle

First it was Ubuntu and now it is Oracle's turn. That is right; here is a wonderful chance to get yourself a DVD set of Oracle's Unbreakable Linux. Essentially Unbreakable Linux is Red Hat Enterprise Linux sans the Red Hat trademarks.

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