Introducing MaxSQL, the Open Source, Fully Transactional Relational Database Engine; MySQL AB and Sleepycat Software Inc. Team Up to Create New Product.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

HELSINKI, Finland & CARLISLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 2000

MySQL AB and Sleepycat Software Inc. today announced the release of MaxSQL, a new Open Source, high-performance and fully transactional SQL server.

MaxSQL, developed jointly by the two companies, combines the industry-standard interface of MySQL's data access language with the high-performance transaction services of Sleepycat's Berkeley DB. MaxSQL is available immediately via download at no charge from www.maxsql.com.

MaxSQL is the first Open Source relational database engine to offer the reliability, scalability and performance that commercial users demand. The software provides the ability to perform transactions with full recoverability for committed changes. It manages databases up to 256 terabytes in size, accommodates many concurrent users and survives power failure or system crashes without losing data. Those features, combined with MySQL's enormous popularity, make MaxSQL a potent threat in the SQL marketplace.

"We're very excited about MaxSQL," said Brett Error, Chief Technology Officer at MyComputer.com. "We've used MySQL for years to deliver services over the Web, but we've wanted transactions and high-concurrency access for quite a while. This new product offers all the features of the relational engines from the big commercial vendors, with much lower maintenance cost and no up-front license fee."

MaxSQL, by combining the SQL services of MySQL with the data management services of Berkeley DB, provides the ideal product that many customers have been looking for.

"We've been very successful with MySQL," said David Axmark, CEO of MySQL AB, an affiliate of the O'Reilly Network. "At the same time, our users have been pressing us to add transaction support and recoverability to our software. We knew that building a high-performance transaction engine would be a difficult undertaking, so we decided to look for a partner. But we needed a partner that was as committed to Open Source software as we are."

"This is a perfect match," agreed Keith Bostic, Sleepycat Software's CEO. "As an embedded database product, Berkeley DB provides scalable, reliable transaction services in a library that's easy for software developers to use in applications. We have customers who need SQL services, but building an SQL engine ourselves wasn't practical. With the release of MaxSQL, we've got a better solution than either of us could have provided alone."

The full source code for MaxSQL is available for download at www.maxsql.com. MaxSQL runs on virtually every popular operating system platform available today, including Windows 95/98/NT, most Unix variants and Linux. The software is distributed under the GNU Public License (GPL), and so is available for use at no charge.

About MySQL: MySQL AB (http://www.mysql.com) was formed this year to develop, support and distribute a suite of SQL server products based on the popular MySQL engine. The company's founders include the authors and original distributors of MySQL. MySQL AB is privately held, with headquarters in Sweden and offices in Finland.

MySQL, distributed by MySQL AB, is the most popular database system for the Linux operating system. The product has won Linux Journal's Reader's Choice award for the past two years for its outstanding power, flexibility and freely available source code.

About Sleepycat Software: Sleepycat Software Inc. (http://www.sleepycat.com) was founded in 1996 to develop, support and distribute Berkeley DB commercially. The company is privately held, and has offices in Massachusetts and California.

Sleepycat Software's Berkeley DB is the database engine deployed on most Internet servers and is at the core of the Internet's most vital services including directories, messaging, routing and naming. It is used in the day-to-day operations of most ISPs and many e-commerce and portal sites.

The O'Reilly Network (http://www.oreillynet.com) is a collection of Web sites for developers interested in open and emerging technologies, including new platforms, programming languages and operating systems. Just like O'Reilly & Associates' books, this hub site, its developer centers and its affiliate sites provide in-depth technical information, clearly and consistently, for developers. Among the Network's nine affiliates are MySQL.com, created by the developers of the popular open source database. Dale Dougherty, the visionary behind the O'Reilly Network, has been instrumental in many of O'Reilly & Associates' most important efforts. The O'Reilly Network is a wholly-owned subsidiary of O'Reilly & Associates Inc.