4 ms·

Should read "Currently, there's no enforcement mechanism..."

po 15y ago
They don't need a technical enforcement mechanism. Their enforcement is a pack of license auditors sent into your company to verify compliance.
Maro 15y ago
There's no software enforcement mechanism in the flagship Oracle Enterprise DBMS either. You can download it for free on the web. From http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Oracle_Licensing http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Oracle_Licensing: A license is the "right to use" (RTU) the software and not the software itself. If you have a license, you can obtain a copy of the software through whatever means - order, download, use the CDs from your last project, etc. Please note that Oracle doesn't use software keys. You can just install the software and use it. It is up to you and your consciences to license the software before using it.
- markokocic 15y ago
  Does that means that I can legally use their software free of charge if my conscience doesn't prohibit me from using it unlicensed?
  - toyg 15y ago
    No. Every EULA you'll click through will include some clause restricting usage to 30 days for evaluation purposes, except in a few cases (db client, beta versions, XE edition, Technology Network stuff, Linux etc). And they do enforce that clause as soon as they find you're using any of their stuff. Plus, you need an account on their site to download pretty much anything, so they'll know what you download, and from time to time you might get a call to see how that "reviewing" is going, especially if you are not a customer yet. It makes it very easy for people to get access to software and to learn, however, especially if they're covered by a company who is already a customer.
    - zmmmmm 15y ago
      How does that play with the fact these changes seem to be checked into the GPL'd code? Wouldn't GPL itself give you a separate license to use the features regardless of whatever EULA Oracle comes up with?
      - tomp 15y ago
        Not if they are patented (and you reside in a country where software patents are valid).
        zmmmmm 15y ago
        I know there is a lot of debate about it, but as far as I understand it GPL is still regarded as including an implied patent grant. Fwiw: http://en.swpat.org/wiki/GPLv2_and_patents http://en.swpat.org/wiki/GPLv2_and_patents
      - marshray 15y ago
        Last I checked, the GPL didn't seem to grant the right to actually use anything.
- TheAmazingIdiot 15y ago
  Warning; Completely off topic: When reading blocked quotes like above, the iphone browser farts and cuts off the text at the right-most ending. I notice it only happens with the <code> construct, which is used regularly here. Any ideas how to fix it on my end?
  - ominous_prime 15y ago
    2-finger scroll. The <pre><code> blocks are supposed to be displayed as-is by the browser, so if they don't fit in the current view, they need to scroll.
pvg 15y ago
Should start your comments "Currently not wearing a tinfoil hat..."
sixbrx 15y ago
I always thought Oracle's enforcement mechanism was to leave ORA-00600 (internal error) exceptions scattered in various code paths throughout the database. In which case you need to contact support for their workaround, and for the support you need the license.

po 15y ago

They don't need a technical enforcement mechanism. Their enforcement is a pack of license auditors sent into your company to verify compliance.

Maro 15y ago

There's no software enforcement mechanism in the flagship Oracle Enterprise DBMS either. You can download it for free on the web. From http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Oracle_Licensing http://www.orafaq.com/wiki/Oracle_Licensing: A license is the "right to use" (RTU) the software and not the software itself. If you have a license, you can obtain a copy of the software through whatever means - order, download, use the CDs from your last project, etc. Please note that Oracle doesn't use software keys. You can just install the software and use it. It is up to you and your consciences to license the software before using it.

markokocic 15y ago
Does that means that I can legally use their software free of charge if my conscience doesn't prohibit me from using it unlicensed?
- toyg 15y ago
  No. Every EULA you'll click through will include some clause restricting usage to 30 days for evaluation purposes, except in a few cases (db client, beta versions, XE edition, Technology Network stuff, Linux etc). And they do enforce that clause as soon as they find you're using any of their stuff. Plus, you need an account on their site to download pretty much anything, so they'll know what you download, and from time to time you might get a call to see how that "reviewing" is going, especially if you are not a customer yet. It makes it very easy for people to get access to software and to learn, however, especially if they're covered by a company who is already a customer.
  - zmmmmm 15y ago
    How does that play with the fact these changes seem to be checked into the GPL'd code? Wouldn't GPL itself give you a separate license to use the features regardless of whatever EULA Oracle comes up with?
    - tomp 15y ago
      Not if they are patented (and you reside in a country where software patents are valid).
      - zmmmmm 15y ago
        I know there is a lot of debate about it, but as far as I understand it GPL is still regarded as including an implied patent grant. Fwiw: http://en.swpat.org/wiki/GPLv2_and_patents http://en.swpat.org/wiki/GPLv2_and_patents
    - marshray 15y ago
      Last I checked, the GPL didn't seem to grant the right to actually use anything.
TheAmazingIdiot 15y ago
Warning; Completely off topic: When reading blocked quotes like above, the iphone browser farts and cuts off the text at the right-most ending. I notice it only happens with the <code> construct, which is used regularly here. Any ideas how to fix it on my end?
- ominous_prime 15y ago
  2-finger scroll. The <pre><code> blocks are supposed to be displayed as-is by the browser, so if they don't fit in the current view, they need to scroll.

pvg 15y ago

Should start your comments "Currently not wearing a tinfoil hat..."

sixbrx 15y ago

I always thought Oracle's enforcement mechanism was to leave ORA-00600 (internal error) exceptions scattered in various code paths throughout the database. In which case you need to contact support for their workaround, and for the support you need the license.