Here's an M&A story that caught my eye yesterday. Sun buys MySQL - the world's most popular open source database for a billion dollars. I'd have just downloaded it for free but there you go. I'll get me coat.

LAMP - or Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl is oft quoted as THE combo to go for a robust (and cheap) web site - powering the likes of Google and Facebook. It'll be interesting to see if the move helps MySQL move into more corporate environments.

Apparently some 50,000 copies a day are downloaded so there is obviously a large user base out there with expertise - but who are presumably accustomed to not paying for it.