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When I blogged a few days ago about the various players that would potential suitors to buy out Sun after the IBM deal had failed, I had completely let slip Oracle.  When you look at the deal from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense.  You have to look at the Oracle stack to see what they now possess:

• The enterprise database server software (Oracle DB)
• The complete J2EE stack (BEA/WebLogic)
• The flat file backend (Sleepycat)
• The CRM and HRMS (Peoplesoft)
• One of the most popular open source backend systems (Mysql)
• The Java language and community process
• The Solaris OS
• Servers/Hardware

This truly is a behemoth of a company that can provide the end all solution to the enterprise.  Now, obviously, I'm omitting other sections that this new conglomerate possesses, but I think when you look at that stack, it makes sense.  You could probably add the failed N2 service that Sun had where Oracle can now manage customers' data centers themselves.

The other thing is that the stack they produce will guarantee to run.  Sun has been a key ally in Oracle's game for as long as I can remember.  In fact, for the longest time, it's been said that Oracle ran most reliably on Sun's hardware.  It's hard for me to deny that this was a good acquisition from a business viewpoint.

However, from a customer's perspective, it's a bit scary.  It's been noted how Oracle at one time had been in pursuit of Mysql.  As the TechCrunch article notes, this is the real hidden gem as it is a key strategic piece to many start ups and the low barriers to entry for companies wanting to break into the online market.  You can speculate that killing the Mysql project would be perversely in Oracle's best interests (we still have options like Postgres though so I don't think most people have to worry).

Still, now Oracle will have to be responsible for the Java community as well.  Is it possible that this move may turn away people from Java towards solutions like PHP or Ruby on Rails?

In my opinion, unlikely.  The people who adapt Java that I've seen want it because it fits into the enterprise model.  Many already employ WebLogic, Oracle, and Sun.  So this stack might make things simpler from a vendor management and support point of view.

Maybe people employing Mysql might feel alienated at first, but I think that the community process is strong enough so that Oracle won't simply shut the project down.

One thing I do think is interesting is how the TechCrunch article mentions the elevated competition from vendors like Dell and HP and perhaps Redhat.  In the case of RedHat, I think they aren't necessarily dependent upon the new Oracle/J2EE stack since they already have their JBoss solution.  Also, I think Redhat probably does better with the LAMP stack (don't quote me on this as I don't have accurate numbers).  But perhaps this move will encourage HP and Dell to work with RedHat closer.

Honestly, I think this move won't change that much in the business outside of narrowing down the contracts a company has to manage between companies.  Truthfully, the only part of the equation that didn't fit into the large enterprise stack was Mysql.  That's the only real wild card at the moment.

Overall, I think the only company that needs to fear this new bigger kid on the block is Microsoft.  Maybe what we'll see in the end is something like:

• J2EE/Oracle/Solaris/Sun Server stack
• LAMP
• Microsoft (SQL Server, IIS, C#/.NET, PC Hardware, Windows OS)
• The cloud (as supported by Google, Amazon and any remaining players).

My bet is on the cloud at the end of the day.