3 ms·
I’m not saying the success of Postgres is entirely due to license; what I’m saying is the license is not a significant factor. MySQL was always the more popula
by trasz 6y ago
I’m not saying the success of Postgres is entirely due to license; what I’m saying is the license is not a significant factor.
MySQL was always the more popular database, true. But it was also the one technically inferior, a PHP of databases.
As for GPL3 - on the contrary, the problem is the adoption of GPL3, which forced many parties to switch to non-GPL alternatives. But it also gave boost to Open Source alternatives, putting an end to the unhealthy monopoly of GNU toolchain.
- toyg 6y ago> the problem is the adoption of GPL3, which forced many parties to switch to non-GPL alternatives. Those are the same sort of businesses that, back in the '90s, would take BSD code and ship it without giving anything back. They were using GPL code only because they could respect the letter of the license while ignoring the spirit, thanks to coincidental technological changes (the move from PCs to server-based architectures). This problem keeps coming up and promotes a parasitic business model. We'd be better served in the long run, as an ecosystem, by trying to find business models that work with GPL3.
- trasz 6y agoCompanies which don’t contribute - just sell code written by others - don’t mind GPL. GPL can be the problem for the rest, as it forces them to immediately donate all their changes to their competitors, who can then offer the same thing cheaper, since they don’t have to amortize the development costs.