Sleepycat Software
Encyclopedia
Sleepycat Software, Inc. was the company primarily responsible for maintaining the Berkeley DB
packages from 1996 to 2006.
Berkeley DB
is a widely used and freely-licensed
database software
originally developed at the University of California, Berkeley
for 4.4BSD Unix
, and developers from that project founded Sleepycat in 1996 to provide commercial support after a request by Netscape
to provide new features in the database software. In February 2006, Sleepycat was acquired by Oracle Corporation
, which has continued developing Berkeley DB.
The company was founded in 1996 to develop, support and distribute Berkeley DB
. The founders were wife and husband team Margo Seltzer
and Keith Bostic
, who are also original authors of Berkeley DB. Another original author, Michael Olson, was the President and CEO of Sleepycat. They were all at University of California, Berkeley
, where they developed the software that grew to become Berkeley DB. Sleepycat was originally based in Carlisle, Massachusetts
and moved to Lincoln, Massachusetts
.
Sleepycat distributed Berkeley DB under a proprietary software
license, that included standard commercial features, and simultaneously under the newly-created Sleepycat License
, which allows Open Source
use and distribution of Berkeley DB with a copyleft
redistribution condition similar to the GNU General Public License
.
Sleepycat had offices in California
, Massachusetts
and the United Kingdom
, was profitable during its entire existence, and had numerous major customers, both Open Source
and commercial.
Berkeley DB
Berkeley DB is a computer software library that provides a high-performance embedded database for key/value data. Berkeley DB is a programmatic software library written in C with API bindings for C++, PHP, Java, Perl, Python, Ruby, Tcl, Smalltalk, and most other programming languages...
packages from 1996 to 2006.
Berkeley DB
Berkeley DB
Berkeley DB is a computer software library that provides a high-performance embedded database for key/value data. Berkeley DB is a programmatic software library written in C with API bindings for C++, PHP, Java, Perl, Python, Ruby, Tcl, Smalltalk, and most other programming languages...
is a widely used and freely-licensed
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
database software
Database Software
Database Software was a software publisher based in Cheshire, England. Software published by the company includes the Red Arrows game for the ZX Spectrum and the office suite Mini Office II, as well as games and educational software for children....
originally developed at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
for 4.4BSD Unix
Berkeley Software Distribution
Berkeley Software Distribution is a Unix operating system derivative developed and distributed by the Computer Systems Research Group of the University of California, Berkeley, from 1977 to 1995...
, and developers from that project founded Sleepycat in 1996 to provide commercial support after a request by Netscape
Netscape
Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
to provide new features in the database software. In February 2006, Sleepycat was acquired by Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
, which has continued developing Berkeley DB.
The company was founded in 1996 to develop, support and distribute Berkeley DB
Berkeley DB
Berkeley DB is a computer software library that provides a high-performance embedded database for key/value data. Berkeley DB is a programmatic software library written in C with API bindings for C++, PHP, Java, Perl, Python, Ruby, Tcl, Smalltalk, and most other programming languages...
. The founders were wife and husband team Margo Seltzer
Margo Seltzer
Margo Ilene Seltzer is a professor and researcher in computer systems. Currently she is the Herchel Smith Professor of Computer Science and a Harvard College Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, where she is active in the Systems Research Group.Dr...
and Keith Bostic
Keith Bostic
Keith Bostic is a computer programmer from the United States.In 1986, Bostic joined the Computer Systems Research Group at the University of California, Berkeley. He was one of the principal architects of the Berkeley 4.4BSD and 4.4BSD-Lite releases...
, who are also original authors of Berkeley DB. Another original author, Michael Olson, was the President and CEO of Sleepycat. They were all at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where they developed the software that grew to become Berkeley DB. Sleepycat was originally based in Carlisle, Massachusetts
Carlisle, Massachusetts
Carlisle is an affluent, rural town northwest of Boston located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the town is 4,852.-History:...
and moved to Lincoln, Massachusetts
Lincoln, Massachusetts
Lincoln is a town in the historic area of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits...
.
Sleepycat distributed Berkeley DB under a proprietary software
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
license, that included standard commercial features, and simultaneously under the newly-created Sleepycat License
Sleepycat License
Sleepycat License is an OSI-approved open source license used by Oracle Corporation for the Berkeley DB, Berkeley DB Java Edition and Berkeley DB XML embedded database products...
, which allows Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
use and distribution of Berkeley DB with a copyleft
Copyleft
Copyleft is a play on the word copyright to describe the practice of using copyright law to offer the right to distribute copies and modified versions of a work and requiring that the same rights be preserved in modified versions of the work...
redistribution condition similar to the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
.
Sleepycat had offices in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, was profitable during its entire existence, and had numerous major customers, both Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
and commercial.
External links
- Oracle Berkeley DB — successor to Sleepycat's web site