MySQL Profits From Open Source. Linux is still the most famous open-source app, but database software using the same model is getting some play. MySQL is giving established software firms a run for their money. By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News]

From the article…

While open-source applications are most closely associated with poorly funded startups, MySQL’s customer list also includes large firms. Its current users include Yahoo, Google, Caterpillar, UPS and travel reservation processor Sabre Holdings, which began a significant shift to MySQL in July.

“While we can definitely show cost reductions in the millions of dollars, it’s not simply a matter of licensing costs,” said Alan Walker, vice president of Sabre Labs, the research-and-development arm of Sabre Holdings. Claiming to process 40 percent of the world’s travel reservations, Sabre Holdings began using MySQL on a discount-fare search feature, Walker said, and now plans to expand its use throughout the company.

Go, MySQL, go!