basic questions

[Xavier Noria]

On Feb 12, 2005, at 23:29, Chuck Swiger wrote:

>> 9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
>> MySQL seems to restrict this _outside_ the license, as metaconditions 
>> under which you can get a license for the database. But MySQL is one 
>> of those paradigmatic Open Source programs, why that is not a 
>> contradiction?
>
> Does this answer your question:
>
> http://www.mysql.com/company/legal/licensing/foss-exception.html

Not really.

It is correct to say that MySQL is an Open Source database? Looks to me 
that it violates OSD #9 since they provide a license or other depending 
on whether you are building a closed application that uses it or not, 
which looks like.

Well, to be strict, the license (GPL here) does not impose that 
restriction, so if the OSD applies to _licenses_ rather than _software_ 
(is that true?) there's no contradiction with the OSD, but a formal 
workaround.

The GPL is an Open Source license, so if you get a GPL MySQL your 
software needs to take that into account. But as I commented to another 
list member off-list AFAIK it could be valid to do this:

    1. I build a web-site for customer C
    2. The web-site is in Java and closed
    3. I ask C to install GPL MySQL in their web server
    4. I use the database from the website

But then http://www.mysql.com/company/legal/licensing/ says

"If you distribute a proprietary application in any way, and you are 
not licensing and distributing your source code under GPL, you need to 
purchase a commercial license of MySQL"

They say you *need* to buy a commercial license even in that 
hypothetical case!

Let me make clear I am trying to fully understand this case as an 
exercise in understanding the OSD formally.

-- fxn