I was stunned to read that Sun bought MySQL AB for One Billion dollars.

Sun is one of my favorite technology companies. If faced with having to choose a commercial UNIX system I would choose Sun hands down. I love the tool set especially some of their latest hits like DTrace, Open Office and their T2 processors.

MySQL is hands down my favorite database to develop code with. It’s fast, it’s easy and it scales. I’ve worked with the software on both a free and commercial basis and I have been very happy with the product and the support offered by the company.

Why was the marriage so shocking? I simply can’t believe the price tag. How will Sun recoup a billion dollars from this investment. It will take a lot of consulting and support contracts to return that much money to it’s stock holders. I admit I’m happier than if a competitor had scooped them up and buried the product deep underground.

Who benefits most? I’m willing to bet Tim O’Reilly makes more money from this acquisition than Sun ever will. Hopefully, I’m wrong.