commercial application development

[Brian Behlendorf]

On Wed, 4 Jun 2003, John Cowan wrote:
> Sujita Purushothaman scripsit:
>
> > If you use MySQL to develop a closed-source application you have to buy
> > the commercial license. If you use the GPLed MySQL then you have to
> > release your application under the GPL.
>
> Not quite, on either count.  If you use MySQL to develop a closed-source
> application *that you distribute to people in binary form*, then you
> have to buy the commercial licnese.  Similarly, if you use the GPLed
> version, and you *release your application in binary form*, then you
> have to provide source to the people who got the binary.

We should be specific here - this only applies, AFAIK, to applications
that statically link with MySQL code, creating a derivative work.  So if
you've got a C app that links to MySQL client libs, and you ship that,
then you are shipping a derivative work of the client libs.  The client
libs, though (at least the Java JDBC driver, AFAIK) are LGPL, meaning the
rules are slightly easier.

Also, if your application doesn't actually link to MySQL code, but instead
talks to MySQL via SQL over a socket, you're not a derivative work.  I
don't know if including MySQL on the same CD counts as "mere aggregation"
as the GPL uses the term, but in my (non-lawyer) opinion, you should be
able to require the user to independently obtain MySQL in order to run
your app.

	Brian

--
license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3