Tuesday, Sun Microsystems closed its $1 billion deal to acquire Swedish open source database company MySQL. In the acquisition, former MySQL chief Marten Mickos becomes the senior VP of the new database group in Sun's software division.

MercuryNews.com reports:

Sun Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz described MySQL as a "crown jewel" that will enable Sun to offer a complement of open-source technologies that rival Microsoft's proprietary offerings.

Some say Sun has a steep hill to climb if it plans to make money with the open source database, but Schwartz sees things differently. SeekingAlpha quotes Schwartz's blog as follows:

There is a clear economic model behind open source, eloquently summarized by Marten Mickos, MySQL's CEO: The spectrum describing the marketplace spans those with more time than money, who form the user and developer communities around free software; and those with more money than time, who purchase commercial support contracts typically in more mature enterprises. To win in the long run, you have to win on both sides of the spectrum -- with the same product.

MercuryNews.com also reports that Sun announced a three-year collaboration through which the company will expand its OpenSPARC program to give five Chinese universities:

access to the tools and the freedom to develop the intellectual property framework [they need] to cultivate native microprocessors and microprocessor engineers.