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MySQL Editions

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Re: MySQL Editions

#41

Post by loewenskind »

avar wrote: post #33
johnyzee wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here we go with the amateur legal stuff, but until a more educated comment comes up, as far as I know, it is a question of the drivers being GPL, and coding up against the drivers crosses the threshold.

Not only that, but MySQL AB considered their network protocol to be GPL as well, and went after anyone who tried to make a clean-room implementation of it. I don't know whether SUN and Oracle still pursue that strategy. Otherwise you could indeed bundle MySQL with some clean-room libraries to talk to the server.

>and went after anyone who tried to make a clean-room implementation of it.

That doesn't sound legal. You're allowed to clean-room implement anything aren't you?

Re: MySQL Editions

#42

Post by bigiain »

Does anyone have ballpark numbers for what a non gpl encumbered mysql licence used to cost before this announcement? I assume Sun and/or Mysql ab used to offer a similar range of mysql based licences?

Re: MySQL Editions

#43

Post by candeira »

johnyzee wrote: post #29
candeira wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How exactly does distributing MySQL as part of your application make your application GPL as well? It's not a retorical question, can you please suggest a case? Unless you outright fork MySQL to make your own database, you can run and distribute it with your proprietary stack without being forced to license your code as GPL. The FSF call it "mere aggregation": http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation

Here we go with the amateur legal stuff, but until a more educated comment comes up, as far as I know, it is a question of the drivers being GPL, and coding up against the drivers crosses the threshold.

Thanks, your answer is informative enough that I can google for more answers.

Re: MySQL Editions

#44

Post by timhastings »

ax0n wrote: post #37
timhastings wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am using the LNNMMMMP stack at the moment... Linux, nginx, node.js, memcached, MySQL, Mono, MongoDB and PHP. Am I normal?

No. You, sir, are not normal. I'd love to know what sort of evil hackery you're cooking with that setup, though.

I'm cooking up a Twitter Recommendation Engine for users, hashtags, and links etc.

For example: http://tagwalk.com/tag/MySQL

Re: MySQL Editions

#45

Post by nkassis »

Got confused until I read the legend at the bottom. Everything with a 1 next to it is commercial edition only. This does not include InnoDB thus, it's available in the community edition. Which is good, who uses MyISAM anyway?

Re: MySQL Editions

#46

Post by Andys »

nodata wrote: post #20
jarin wrote: post #4

Wow, yeah hello PostgreSQL

I think the reason you are being downvoted is that you are comparing PostgreSQL with the commercial version of MySQL. A better comparison would be between EnterpriseDB and the commercial version of MySQL.

Afaik, the free version of MySQL doesn't let you do a live transaction-safe database dump of InnoDB tables.

A pretty basic feature I thought, which is included in the free version of PostgreSQL.

Re: MySQL Editions

#47

Post by shpxnvz »

candeira wrote: post #26
dangrossman wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MySQL is dual-licensed. If you download the community server, it's GPL licensed. If you want to distribute MySQL as part of your application, then your application may have to be GPL licensed as well, which is often undesirable. ISVs and others that need to distribute MySQL can buy one of the commercial editions to get it under a non-GPL license. If you're worried about the future, Oracle agreed to maintain the dual-…

How exactly does distributing MySQL as part of your application make your application GPL as well? It's not a retorical question, can you please suggest a case? Unless you outright fork MySQL to make your own database, you can run and distribute it with your proprietary stack without being forced to license your code as GPL. The FSF call it "mere aggregation": http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#MereAggregation

How exactly does distributing MySQL as part of your application make your application GPL as well?

It doesn't. The acceptance of the GPL (as of V2, haven't read V3) for a software component does not compel you to use any particular license for your own work. You can, by distributing the GPL'd work with you own non-open software, be in violation of the license on the GPL'd work, but the repercussion is a loss of the right to distribute the GPL'd work potentially enforced by injunction, and not an automatic change of your own license as the phrase "make your application GPL as well" implies.

Re: MySQL Editions

#48

Post by 9ec4c12949a4f3 »

dangrossman wrote: post #14
jarin wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the difference between community and commercial customers, aside from support? Is InnoDB a feature? Why would MyISAM support be free but InnoDB support have a yearly fee?

MySQL is dual-licensed. If you download the community server, it's GPL licensed. If you want to distribute MySQL as part of your application, then your application may have to be GPL licensed as well, which is often undesirable. ISVs and others that need to distribute MySQL can buy one of the commercial editions to get it under a non-GPL license. If you're worried about the future, Oracle agreed to maintain the dual-…

If my PHP connects to a mysql database on the same host, and I sell that host as a product, I need to release that php code?

Re: MySQL Editions

#49

Post by avar »

loewenskind wrote: post #41
avar wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only that, but MySQL AB considered their network protocol to be GPL as well, and went after anyone who tried to make a clean-room implementation of it. I don't know whether SUN and Oracle still pursue that strategy. Otherwise you could indeed bundle MySQL with some clean-room libraries to talk to the server.

>and went after anyone who tried to make a clean-room implementation of it. That doesn't sound legal. You're allowed to clean-room implement anything aren't you?

The idea was that their network protocol was an original copyrighted work, and that any clean-room implementation of it would be a derived work.

That does indeed sound crazy, but they also had piles of cash to throw at lawyers to go after anyone who challenged them, and (maybe as a result of that) nobody ever made e.g. a clean-room BSD or LGPL licensed version of the mysql library. So it never made it to court AFAIK.

Re: MySQL Editions

#50

Post by mahmud »

loewenskind wrote: post #41
avar wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only that, but MySQL AB considered their network protocol to be GPL as well, and went after anyone who tried to make a clean-room implementation of it. I don't know whether SUN and Oracle still pursue that strategy. Otherwise you could indeed bundle MySQL with some clean-room libraries to talk to the server.

>and went after anyone who tried to make a clean-room implementation of it. That doesn't sound legal. You're allowed to clean-room implement anything aren't you?

Not only, but even reverse engineering of proprietary protocols from packets in transit is legal, IIUC.
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