slick and smart move by Oracle [LWN.net]

slick and smart move by Oracle

Posted Oct 11, 2005 23:49 UTC (Tue) by stock (subscriber, #5849)
Parent article: Single-company free software

It might just be that MySQL's InnoDB will have to be forked() soon.
InnoDB is currently GPL , but i have seen software projects move from GPL
to a different license, and the next major version of that migration
result became proprietary. It all depends how the folks of MySQL will see
this. Oracle has been very slick and smart with this Acquisition. Because
indeed, the next major version of InnoDB could make MySQL a _real_
database contender.

Robert

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slick and smart move by Oracle

Posted Oct 12, 2005 18:27 UTC (Wed) by jonabbey (subscriber, #2736) [Link]

You can't change the license of a project without approval from the holders of the copyright. In the case of Innobase, that would now be Oracle.

Oracle may not be able to revoke permission to use MySQL under the GPL, but they may well be able to jack MySQL AB for big money to use Innobase under any other terms, as when MySQL AB licenses MySQL for embedded use, and such.

MySQL can fork Innobase all they want, but only under GPL, and then they would be unable to let people embed MySQL in their products without forcing the source code release of their proprietary bits.

Fiendishly clever of Oracle, again.

slick and smart move by Oracle

Posted Oct 13, 2005 3:15 UTC (Thu) by skybrian (subscriber, #365) [Link]

We don't know what license or contract there is between InnoDB and MySQL. It might be that MySQL already has all the rights they need and they're irrevokable.

slick and smart move by Oracle

Posted Oct 13, 2005 5:53 UTC (Thu) by dlang (subscriber, #313) [Link]

we don't know the license terms, but we know they aren't permanent and irrevokable becouse Oracle has publicly said that when the contract is up for renewal next year they currently 'fully expect to negotiate an extention to that relationship"