Oracle promises 'decisive new approach' to MySQL - so will this mean some big changes coming soon?

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Oracle sets out refreshed approach to MySQL

Oracle
Oracle looks into the future and sees support ending (Image credit: Future)
  • Oracle sets out "three-pronged strategy" to refresh its focus on MySQL
  • There's a clear focus on community engagement and trust building
  • MySQL's roadmap is also set to be available to view

Oracle MySQL Community Manager Frederic Descamps has promised a "decisive new approach" to MySQL in response to concerns raised by the open-source community.

Users have cited worries over reduced commit activity, slow innovation and a lack of transparency, with founder Michael Widenius also previously stated he was "heartbroken" over engineering job cuts.

But to mark MySQL's 30th anniversary, Oracle is responding to criticism with a "reinvigorated approach to community collaboration and innovation."

Oracle promises "reinvigorated" approach to MySQL

Descamps described MySQL as "one of the world’s most widely used open source databases," praising its "active and passionate community." However, the community has been unhappy with certain elements under MySQL's current leadership.

Oracle effectively took ownership of MySQL when it acquired its parent company for $7.4 billion in 2010.

Looking ahead, Oracle's has set out a "three-pronged strategy" that includes moving previously commercial-only features into the Community Edition to drive innovation, expanding the ecosystem "by expanding tools, frameworks, and connectors," and improving transparency by publishing a development roadmap, sharing workloads and bug reports, and engaging with the community more directly.

PGO-optimized community binaries, new AI-focused vector functions, the hypergraph optimizer and JSON duality improvements are on the cards, with Oracle targeting April for its first round of updates to regain community trust.

Oracle has also set out plans to collaborate with popular open-source projects like WordPress, and Linux communities and distros, including Ubuntu/Canonical.

The news came at the annual preFOSDEM MySQL Belgian Days in Brussels, around a month after Oracle shared details of MySQL 9.6, which promises to fix long-standing challenges with change tracking, binary log replication and data consistency.

To keep the community engaged, Oracle promises to bring more content to social media, YouTube and podcasts.

"Looking ahead to the coming years, we are committed to executing this vision," Descamps wrote.

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Craig Hale
Craig Hale

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!

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