Oracle buys open source tech developer Innobase

PHILADELPHIA: Software maker Oracle Corp. said on Friday that it has acquired Finland's Innobase OY, a developer of the InnoDB open source database technology, for an undisclosed sum.

InnoDB is a data storage engine that runs on the MySQL open source database management system favored by travel reservation systems like Travelocity and Web sites like social networking site Friendster.

Open source software, such as Linux or Apache, is meant to be easily accessible and shared with anyone who wants to develop new incarnations of the software, duplicate it, or understand how it works.

Oracle said it has "long been a supporter of open source software" and said it expected to make more contributions to open source systems in the future.

The Redwood Shores, California-based software giant said it planned to negotiate to extend InnoDB's relationship with MySQL, part of a contract that comes up for renewal next year.