3 ms·

I honestly don't understand the problem; below I'll present the situation as I see it, please correct me if I am wrong. The argument is this: 1. MySQL is an op

I honestly don't understand the problem; below I'll present the situation as I see it, please correct me if I am wrong. The argument is this: 1. MySQL is an open source project. 2. Oracle is going to control MySQL. 3. Oracle will try to kill MySQL. If that happens, why won't a new organization spring up and fork MySQL (perhaps NewMySQL) and continue to actively maintain it? To try and use the law to stop this from happening is hardly something I could support. Once you sell your company you no longer have control of it, you cannot receive the benefits of the sale and then try to force the government to prevent them from doing something you do not agree with.

antirez 17y ago
This is the answer: http://monty-says.blogspot.com/2009/10/importance-of-license-model-of-mysql-or.html http://monty-says.blogspot.com/2009/10/importance-of-license... Basically organizations that are putting money and work on MySQL absolutely require to get licenses, or in other words, the GPL is not good for this guys because they have to do their stuff with parts of closed source software and so forth. The problem is the GPL clearly: it allows you to earn money selling licenses, but I don't like the model: 1. You start a GPLed open source project. 2. Then start to sell licenses to make the software like if it was BSD only for paying customers: PROFIT 3. The you get in troubles... like MySQL. 4. You ask for help to the community... Edit: I'm claiming the GPL is always a bad idea, but it depends on the kind of project. For instance it worked very well for Linux, but does not work so well in other contexts when it's highly likely that companies require to use the code in ways not allowed by the GPL for legitimate business needs (that is, not just to create a closed source version of the project).
- dantheman 17y ago
  It looks like they should have released it with an MIT or BSD license. I guess they could always take the Billion dollars they received for it, and create a new database company and completely rewrite a new database engine. Or use that money to fund an organization to maintain development.
  - rbanffy 17y ago
    If they had, they would have competition from day one. MySQL enjoyed the monopoly of selling proprietary licenses to their clients. So much, in fact, Monty still wants it after having sold the company for an obscene amount of money.

antirez 17y ago

This is the answer: http://monty-says.blogspot.com/2009/10/importance-of-license-model-of-mysql-or.html http://monty-says.blogspot.com/2009/10/importance-of-license... Basically organizations that are putting money and work on MySQL absolutely require to get licenses, or in other words, the GPL is not good for this guys because they have to do their stuff with parts of closed source software and so forth. The problem is the GPL clearly: it allows you to earn money selling licenses, but I don't like the model: 1. You start a GPLed open source project. 2. Then start to sell licenses to make the software like if it was BSD only for paying customers: PROFIT 3. The you get in troubles... like MySQL. 4. You ask for help to the community... Edit: I'm claiming the GPL is always a bad idea, but it depends on the kind of project. For instance it worked very well for Linux, but does not work so well in other contexts when it's highly likely that companies require to use the code in ways not allowed by the GPL for legitimate business needs (that is, not just to create a closed source version of the project).

dantheman 17y ago
It looks like they should have released it with an MIT or BSD license. I guess they could always take the Billion dollars they received for it, and create a new database company and completely rewrite a new database engine. Or use that money to fund an organization to maintain development.
- rbanffy 17y ago
  If they had, they would have competition from day one. MySQL enjoyed the monopoly of selling proprietary licenses to their clients. So much, in fact, Monty still wants it after having sold the company for an obscene amount of money.