MySQL 4

[John Morris]

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004, Ken Snider wrote:

> You can still connect to MySQL via a Unix Socket or TCP without worrying about 
> the GPL-ness of the libraries - this only affects *compiled* code that links 
> against libmysql.
> 
> This is one of the reasons a separate package with the 3.x mysql libs might 
> make sense from a linking standpoint, but I'd bet there'd be an issue with 
> using them against a 4.x MySQL.

And I'd say that just the fact that this sort of discussion is still
happening, i.e. just what is/is not allowed re MySQL4 is reason enough to
leave it out of any stable release until it sorts itself out.  It is hard
enough to get buyin on a Free Software based project in many corporate
environments, intentionally walking into a legal minefield sure wouldn't
make those types feel safe.  Factor in MySQL AB's proven record for
lawyering up, their obvious intention to milk cash from the license change
and you have a recipe for well justified FUD.

Without the linkages to PHP, few will even care about the presence of
MySQL and that is heart of the problem.  RH would be daft to leave out PHP
in favor of MySQL because besides not solving anything, MySQL isn't even
RH's preferred database solution.  RHDB (aka PostgreSQL) has no license
problems with PHP.

In the end, MySQL AB changed their license and it is their burden to deal
with the consequences of that action unless enough peeps find the new
license terms unworkable, then perhaps the XFree86 example will prove 
instructive.

-- 
John M.      http://www.beau.org/~jmorris        This post is 100% M$ Free!
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