Ceding control to gain command
I think that this article has got the wrong end of the stick. This decision is not about Oracle completing another step in their plan to kill open source, but a complete about turn and full marks to the big guys for doing so. Oracle executives have taken a little longer than expected (18 months) to understand how to monetize open source software, ie.not at the coal face but further down the value chain. They have realised that you can't seize control of OSS without risking the rug being pulled from under you by other members of the community. Better to focus on the standards which open source supports (in this case ODF) and how this can underpin and unify the bigger enterprise support picture, where ORACLE rule supreme.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
