Paul A. Clayton (paaronclayton.delete@this.gmail.com) on August 1, 2012 3:18 pm wrote:
> "Oracle’s actions will make current and potential partners and customers think
> twice and more carefully consider the reliability of different vendors."
>
> The
> fear of such actions may make Free Software more attractive. (I doubt U.S.
> corporations will develop a gift culture [where the pleasure of helping others
> or the pleasant release of pent-up gratitude--or even where the pride of
> gift-giving, conspicuous giving rather than consumption {or even internalized
> pride}--drives giving], but there might be some recognition of the freedom that
> FLOSS provides to the corporation and possibly of the general economic benefits
> of FLOSS ["a rising tide raises all boats"].)

I can't possibly see how. What would be the FLOSS alternative to Oracle's databases? Keep in mind that part of the issue is the nature and state of Itanium support itself. it seems to me as though trying to ramp a non-Oracle FLOSS alternative in an x86 environment in just a few years would be challenging; trying to ramp an Itanium code base for that product sounds...

Well, not much fun.