Oracle To Buy JBOSS, Zend and Sleepycat

The open-source community may be in for a jolt. Oracle (ORCL) is plotting what could be the biggest endorsement yet by a mainstream software company for a movement that involves legions of developers across the globe who publish "open" software distributed freely over the Net, making money instead from support and maintenance.
Oracle is in talks to buy at least three open-source software companies in deals that could be valued at more than $600 million

JBOSS
The largest of the three targets is Atlanta-based JBoss, which specializes in so-called middleware, the software that serves as a connection between disparate programs. JBoss competes with traditional software companies like BEA Systems (BEAS), IBM, and, to some degree, Oracle


Zend
Also in Oracle's crosshairs: closely held Zend, based in Cupertino, Calif. Zend's PHP software language is one of the most prevalent on the Web, present in more than 18 million Web sites. The company, which snared headlines last year when Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen joined its board, has been trying to extend its success with the Web into business applications. Zend could sell for $200 million, according to one source.

Sleepycat
The third is Emeryville (Calif.)-based Sleepycat Software, which makes technology used in many of the open-source databases that handle reams of digital data. The Sleepycat deal, likely to be the smallest of the three, is expected to be announced as soon as Feb. 13. It's not clear how soon the others will be announced, and they're unlikely to be unveiled in conjunction. However, talks with all three are advanced, say some of the people involved, who asked not to be identified.

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