MySQL CEO says IPO one step in long-term plan

BOSTON, April 24 (Reuters) - The chief executive of database software developer MySQL AB said on Tuesday he intends to take his company public, though perhaps not this year.

"It's part of our roadmap. It's something we are planning," Marten Mickos told Reuters in a telephone interview.

"It's just one step in our long-term planning."

MySQL is a developer of open-source software for computer databases. Its products are used to support Internet-focused computer programs, including ones that help run Web sites such as YouTube, Yahoo (YHOO.O) and Google (GOOG.O).

Developers have embraced MySQL because its code is open-source, which means it can be downloaded, manipulated and changed.

That makes it relatively easy to write programs that work with the database.

MySQL is one of the most popular types of open-source software after the Linux operating system.

While the the company is growing according to its long-term business plan, it is not yet ready for an initial public offering, Mickos said in the interview as his company kicked off a users' conference in Santa Clara, California.

"We want to have everything super ready," he said.