This is exactly why someone needs to develop a non-gpl mysql drop in client
for PHP. This would get around license costs, despite what MySQL AB has to
say, this would be completely legal. Ask your local rep from the FSF. One
could always reverse engineer the protocol like the Samba team. Also the
fact is, an idea can NOT be copyrighted. You can read the source, take
notes, or even make documentation to create your own client.
There is a pure ruby client under Ruby license(dual: GPL or alternate
nonfree software exception). I'm sure there are others.
The real thing is, mysqlab seems to be confusing people with their ideals
which aren't in sync with how the GPL is written, nor with what the FSF
says. They're using things like the GPLs Socket FAQ to confuse people.
On 2/22/07, mos <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
At 03:05 PM 2/22/2007, Raul Andres Duque wrote:
>What do the license say about using MySQL on web aplications (with PHP)??
>
>Regards,
>
>RAUL DUQUE
>Bogotá, Colombia
Paul,
Use of MySQL (with or without PHP) on a webserver falls into the
GPL
license because you are not technically distributing your application. You
have to be distributing your application without disclosing your source
code, to another party (even inside your company) for you to require a
MySQL AB license ($595).
On the other hand, if you developed a web application that ran on
MySQL (an accounting package say) and you want to distribute it to 1000
MySQL users without giving them your source code, then you will need a
MySQL AB license for each copy ($595,000 in total) even if you give the
software away for free. Plus if you give your application to another dept
inside of your own company to run on another MySQL server, you'll need a
license if you don't give them the source code to your application. This
gets to be splitting hairs after a while and isn't really enforceable.
Sam
(I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV!)
What is 100 lawyers buried up to their necks in sand?
Answer: Not enough sand. :-)
>----- Original Message ----- From: "mos" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <mysql@lists.mysql.com>
>Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 3:32 PM
>Subject: Re: [LICENSING] why so hazy? Comparing to Samba.
>
>
>>At 12:51 PM 2/22/2007, software advocate wrote:
>>>Let me present what I've read from the MySQL site so far.
>>>
>>>The MySQL protocol notice
>>>http://dev.mysql.com/doc/internals/en/licensing-notice.html
>>>
>>>Okay, really confusing. What if someone creates a mysql client without
>>>looking at docs or source code of the MySQL client? What if someone
simply
>>>sniffs traffic and builds the protocol from scratch. This scenario can
be
>>>compared to samba in my comparison. Samba also uses proprietary
structures,
>>>but they didn't look at source or docs, they sniffed and built from
scratch.
>>>Therefore, why is the MySQL AB throwing wool over people's eyes? Is
this
>>>their view of the GPL? I remember reading on the GNU site a FAQ
describing
>>>the GPL protocol...
>>>
>>>If people are going to preach Open Source Software and damn closed
source
>>>software which tries to emulate open source protocols, what makes it
any
>>>better ethically from closed source software?
>>
>>There are people who have reworked the MySQL API calls so you don't need
>>to distribute the MySQL DLL library with your application. You can (at
>>least under Windows), distribute nothing but an .exe file and it will
>>access a MySQL database just fine, under the assumption that your app
>>doesn't require the MySQL client libraries so you don't need a license.
>>MySQL AB will of course protest and duke it out with you in court,
>>costing both sides quite a bit of money.
>>
>>My attitude is if you are going to distribute a commercial application,
>>use something other than MySQL. It's fine for web servers and in-house
>>farting around, but for commercial apps I'd want something that has a
>>zero footprint install and doesn't require a database administrator to
>>maintain. I would also insist on getting something with one database
>>engine that supports hundreds of users, transactions, RI, and is
>>blindingly fast and has no royalties. With MySQL you have to compromise
>>between using fast MyISAM tables or the slower InnoDb transactional
>>tables. And of course there is no table wide encryption so your client
>>can monkey about with the tables all he wants, which is something I'd
>>want to avoid if I were shipping a commercial application. And of course
>>I don't want to fork over $595 to MySQL AB for each application that I
sell.
>>
>>So rather than trying to look for loopholes in the license agreement,
I'd
>>choose a different database for commercial apps. Just me 2 cents.
>>
>>Mike
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