On Tue, 2004-01-13 at 13:34, Tucker, David wrote:
> Also, much GPLed software is not free for commercial use. If you use MySQL
> in you business, you have to pay for it.
Perhaps you should re-read the GPL[1]. Specifically section 0:
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are
not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act
of running the Program is not restricted.
Anyone anywhere can run a GPL'd program without permission. They don't
need it. Copyrights don't cover using a program, only copying them hence
the name copyright.
In MySQL's case, if you want to incorporate MySQL into your application
and distribute it without also distributing the source code then you
would need to obtain permission from all the copyright owners which
happens to be MySQL AB who may then grant you a different non-free
license if they wish. I believe this is what you are referring to. But
the deciding factor is not whether you are making money or not, but
solely on whether you wish to comply with the GPL.
To sum up, *all* GPL software is free irrespective of the nature of use.
Any software which is not free for a specific use is, by definition,
non-free.
Corey
1. http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl.html
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