MySQL AB is the company of the MySQL founders and main developers. MySQL AB was originally established in Sweden by David Axmark, Allan Larsson, and Michael “Monty” Widenius.
The developers of the MySQL server are all employed by the company. We are a virtual organization with people in a dozen countries around the world. We communicate extensively over the Internet every day with one another and with our users, supporters, and partners.
We are dedicated to developing the MySQL database software and promoting it to new users. MySQL AB owns the copyright to the MySQL source code, the MySQL logo and (registered) trademark, and this manual. See the section called “Overview of the MySQL Database Management System”.
The MySQL core values show our dedication to MySQL and Open Source.
These core values direct how MySQL AB works with the MySQL server software:
To be the best and the most widely used database in the world
To be available and affordable by all
To be easy to use
To be continuously improved while remaining fast and safe
To be fun to use and improve
To be free from bugs
These are the core values of the company MySQL AB and its employees:
We subscribe to the Open Source philosophy and support the Open Source community
We aim to be good citizens
We prefer partners that share our values and mindset
We answer email and provide support
We are a virtual company, networking with others
We work against software patents
The MySQL Web site (http://www.mysql.com/) provides the latest information about MySQL and MySQL AB.
By the way, the “AB” part of the company name is the acronym for the Swedish “aktiebolag,” or “stock company.” It translates to “MySQL, Inc.” In fact, MySQL, Inc. and MySQL GmbH are examples of MySQL AB subsidiaries. They are located in the US and Germany, respectively.
One of the most common questions we encounter is, “How can you make a living from something you give away for free?” This is how:
MySQL AB makes money on support, services, commercial licenses, and royalties.
We use these revenues to fund product development and to expand the MySQL business.
The company has been profitable since its inception. In October 2001, we accepted venture financing from leading Scandinavian investors and a handful of business angels. This investment is used to solidify our business model and build a basis for sustainable growth.
MySQL AB is run and owned by the founders and main developers of the MySQL database. The developers are committed to providing support to customers and other users in order to stay in touch with their needs and problems. All our support is provided by qualified developers. Really tricky questions are answered by Michael “Monty” Widenius, principal author of the MySQL Server.
Paying customers receive high-quality support directly from MySQL AB. MySQL AB also provides the MySQL mailing lists as a community resource where anyone may ask questions.
For more information and ordering support at various levels, see the section called “MySQL Support and Licensing”.
MySQL AB delivers MySQL and related training worldwide. We offer both open courses and in-house courses tailored to the specific needs of your company. MySQL Training is also available through our partners, the Authorized MySQL Training Centers.
Our training material uses the same sample databases used in our documentation and our sample applications, and is always updated to reflect the latest MySQL version. Our trainers are backed by the development team to guarantee the quality of the training and the continuous development of the course material. This also ensures that no questions raised during the courses remain unanswered.
Attending our training courses will enable you to achieve your MySQL application goals. You will also:
Save time
Improve the performance of your applications
Reduce or eliminate the need for additional hardware, decreasing cost
Enhance security.
Increase customer and co-worker satisfaction
Prepare yourself for MySQL Certification
If you are interested in our training as a potential participant or as a training partner, please visit the training section at http://www.mysql.com/training/, or send email to mailto:training@@mysql.com.
For details about the MySQL Certification Program, please see http://www.mysql.com/certification/.
MySQL AB and its Authorized Partners offer consulting services to users of MySQL Server and to those who embed MySQL Server in their own software, all over the world.
Our consultants can help you design and tune your databases, construct efficient queries, tune your platform for optimal performance, resolve migration issues, set up replication, build robust transactional applications, and more. We also help customers embed MySQL Server in their products and applications for large-scale deployment.
Our consultants work in close collaboration with our development team, which ensures the technical quality of our professional services. Consulting assignments range from two-day power-start sessions to projects that span weeks and months. Our expertise covers not only MySQL Server, it also extends into programming and scripting languages such as PHP, Perl, and more.
If you are interested in our consulting services or want to become a consulting partner, please visit the consulting section of our Web site at http://www.mysql.com/consulting/ or contact our consulting staff at mailto:consulting@@mysql.com.
The MySQL database is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). This means that the MySQL software can be used free of charge under the GPL. If you do not want to be bound by the GPL terms (such as the requirement that your application must also be GPL), you may purchase a commercial license for the same product from MySQL AB; see https://order.mysql.com/. Since MySQL AB owns the copyright to the MySQL source code, we are able to employ Dual Licensing, which means that the same product is available under GPL and under a commercial license. This does not in any way affect the Open Source commitment of MySQL AB. For details about when a commercial license is required, please see the section called “MySQL Licenses”.
We also sell commercial licenses of third-party Open Source GPL software that adds value to MySQL Server. A good example is the InnoDB transactional storage engine that offers ACID support, row-level locking, crash recovery, multi-versioning, foreign key support, and more. See Chapter 16, The InnoDB Storage Engine.
MySQL AB has a worldwide partner program that covers training courses, consulting and support, publications, plus reselling and distributing MySQL and related products. MySQL AB Partners get visibility on the http://www.mysql.com/ Web site and the right to use special versions of the MySQL (registered) trademarks to identify their products and promote their business.
If you are interested in becoming a MySQL AB Partner, please email mailto:partner@@mysql.com.
The word MySQL and the MySQL dolphin logo are (registered) trademarks of MySQL AB. See the section called “MySQL AB Logos and Trademarks”. These trademarks represent a significant value that the MySQL founders have built over the years.
The MySQL Web site (http://www.mysql.com/) is popular among developers and users. In December 2003, we served 16 million page views. Our visitors represent a group that makes purchase decisions and recommendations for both software and hardware. Twelve percent of our visitors authorize purchase decisions, and only nine percent have no involvement at all in purchase decisions. More than 65% have made one or more online business purchases within the last half-year, and 70% plan to make one in the next few months.
The MySQL Web site (http://www.mysql.com/) provides the latest information about MySQL and MySQL AB.
For press services and inquiries not covered in our news releases (http://www.mysql.com/news-and-events/), please send email to mailto:press@@mysql.com.
If you have a support contract with MySQL AB, you will get timely, precise answers to your technical questions about the MySQL software. For more information, see the section called “Support Offered by MySQL AB”. On our Web site, see http://www.mysql.com/support/, or send email to mailto:sales@@mysql.com.
For information about MySQL training, please visit the training section at http://www.mysql.com/training/, or send email to mailto:training@@mysql.com. See the section called “Training and Certification”.
For information on the MySQL Certification Program, please see http://www.mysql.com/certification/. See the section called “Training and Certification”.
If you're interested in consulting, please visit the consulting section of our Web site at http://www.mysql.com/consulting/, or send email to mailto:consulting@@mysql.com. See the section called “Consulting”.
Commercial licenses may be purchased online at https://order.mysql.com/. There you will also find information on how to fax your purchase order to MySQL AB. More information about licensing can be found at http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing/. If you have questions regarding licensing or you want a quote for high-volume licensing, please fill in the contact form on our Web site (http://www.mysql.com/), or send email to mailto:licensing@@mysql.com (for licensing questions) or to mailto:sales@@mysql.com (for sales inquiries). See the section called “MySQL Licenses”.
If you represent a business that is interested in partnering with MySQL AB, please send email to mailto:partner@@mysql.com. See the section called “Partnering”.
For more information on the MySQL trademark policy, refer to http://www.mysql.com/company/trademark.html, or send email to mailto:trademark@@mysql.com. See the section called “MySQL AB Logos and Trademarks”.
If you are interested in any of the MySQL AB jobs listed in our jobs section (http://www.mysql.com/company/jobs/), please send email to mailto:jobs@@mysql.com. Please do not send your CV as an attachment, but rather as plain text at the end of your email message.
For general discussion among our many users, please direct your attention to the appropriate mailing list. See the section called “MySQL Mailing Lists”.
Reports of errors (often called “bugs”), as well as questions and comments, should be sent to the general MySQL mailing list. See the section called “The MySQL Mailing Lists”. If you have found a sensitive security bug in MySQL Server, please let us know immediately by sending email to mailto:security@@mysql.com. See the section called “How to Report Bugs or Problems”.
If you have benchmark results that we can publish, please contact us via email at mailto:benchmarks@@mysql.com.
If you have suggestions concerning additions or corrections to this manual, please send them to the documentation team via email at mailto:docs@@mysql.com.
For questions or comments about the workings or content of the MySQL Web site (http://www.mysql.com/), please send email to mailto:webmaster@@mysql.com.
MySQL AB has a privacy policy, which can be read at http://www.mysql.com/company/privacy.html. For any queries regarding this policy, please send email to mailto:privacy@@mysql.com.
For all other inquiries, please send email to mailto:info@@mysql.com.