It has been a busy news day!

To start with, the on/off again BEA acquisition by Oracle is now on again. See my previous post for what this could mean, but it is still early and there are many questions about what it is going to mean to Oracle's middleware and both Oracle and BEA customers. Some of the early quotes are interesting however.

Larry Ellison says at one point:

"...customers can choose among Oracle and BEA middleware products, knowing that those products will gracefully interoperate and be supported for years to come.”

This sounds like they are acknowledging that they have overlap and that they don't plan on rationalizing that overlap for "years to come".

Alfred Chuang states:

“our two businesses are a natural fit.”

but then says the companies will work on a

“comprehensive integration plan”

It all seems a bit confusing with products continuing for years to come, but being a natural fit, but needing a comprehensive integration plan. We will all be interested to see what happens.

The other big news of course is Sun's acquisition of MySQL. There has been a lot written on this of course including:

• Sun acquires MySQL; Adds to its software stack
• Sun's Acquisition of MySQL Validates Open Source Model
• Sun and MySQL: A $1 billion vote for open-source

I'm excited about it as it will provide a variety of opportunities for the Java Composite Application Platform Suite (CAPS) which is Sun's SOA and Composite Application product offering. With MySQL, Sun now has a complete software stack from the operating system to Java to Software Infrastructure (i.e. middleware) including an application server, identity products, and an integration platform with Java CAPS, the majority already in open source with nearly all new development taking place in open source. This last point is a key differentiator against the competition.

Stay tuned for updates on how the MySQL acquisition can create more value for Java CAPS customers.