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PostgreSQL, Inc. donates database replication software

From:  "Marc G. Fournier" <scrappy@hub.org>
To:  PgSQL Corporate Communications <pr@pgsql.com>
Subject:  [ANNOUNCE] PostgreSQL, Inc. Releases Open Source Replication Version
Date:  Tue, 26 Aug 2003 17:34:35 -0300 (ADT)


Wolfville, Nova Scotia                       PostgreSQL, Inc.
For Immediate Release                        360 Main Street, Suite 21
Tuesday, August 26th, 2003                   Wolfville, Nova Scotia
                                             Canada, B4P 1C4
                                             Phone 902 542 0713
                                             Fax 902 542 5386


                      eRServer v1.0+ BSD
    PostgreSQL, Inc. Releases Open Source Replication Version

PostgreSQL, Inc. is today contributing its commercially developed
replication solution, eRServer(c) v1.0+ for the PostgreSQL database,
to the PostgreSQL project and the global open source community. This
is part of PostgreSQL Inc.'s ongoing commitment to promoting open
source software by adding a crucial enterprise component to the
world's most advanced open source database.

Replication is one of the most critical utilities for enterprise
databases, and this release makes that capability accessible to
qualified developers and users who could not previously afford
replication because of software licensing or support fees.

While PostgreSQL, Inc. is independent from the PostgreSQL Global
Development Project, the company is a committed contributor and
supporter of Free/Libré Open Source Software principles through
actively promoting PostgreSQL's BSD open source licensing - even when
that may compete with our commercial developments. One of the most
innovative of those commitments is our promise to make any of our
commercial software source code available as BSD open source within
two years of its retail release...
 "DATELINE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2000
  Open Source vs. Proprietary:
  We advocate Open Source, BSD style :) We will consider and develop
  short term (up to 24 month) proprietary applications and solutions
  where there is a strong business and intellectual property case to
  be made. *All" proprietary developments that we are involved in
  *will* become open source within two years of implementation,
  without exception."

"We and our global network of partners encourage and challenge every
company that uses, sells or supports open source software to follow
our lead and begin to path all proprietary developments into the open
source stream as well." states PostgreSQL, Inc. CEO Geoff Davidson.
"By committing commercial development efforts to advancing open
source software, companies like PostgreSQL, Inc. are ensuring that
Free/Libré Open Source Software will continue to increase the
availability and benefits of advanced applications and features to
everyone. This approach ensures that anyone who wants to is enabled
to contribute to their community regardless of how much they may have
in the bank."

"eRServer(c) has proven itself by supporting large mission critical
systems, including the .INFO and .ORG registry management system."
observes PostgreSQL, Inc.'s President Marc Fournier. "Version 1.0 was
released commercially in October 2001 and today I am proud to
announce that an enhanced version of that source code is being
released to the community under the BSD Open Source Software License.

"This eRServer(c) v1.0+BSD source code includes all the original
capabilities of the release version, along with improved
documentation, bug fixes, and even some of the enhanced features
previously available only in v1.2 or higher. "We are releasing this
with plans to work with many in the community to develop new
capabilities to benefit both our open source and commercial channels.
It is our hope to attract new developers interested in working with
us towards our broader vision for expanding PostgreSQL use in
enterprises that require larger, more dynamic databases to exploit
the truly unlimited scale and scope that PostgreSQL achieves in
broadly distributed database environments."

"However," cautions Fournier, "replication can be an extremely
complex area for programming in enterprise systems - so even the more
advanced database users should expect to invest a good deal of
development time and effort in properly deploying this software."
Although eRServer(c) v1.0+BSD does not come with free support, it
will be covered under any of our commercial support programs, and
should quickly pick up support and expertise from the community as
more users become familiar with configuring and deploying the many
replication capabilities this source code enables."

"eRServer gives us one of the 'top five' components that the
PostgreSQL database has needed in order to compete with commercial
enterprise databases such as Oracle and DB2 on equal terms," said
Josh Berkus, member of the PostgreSQL Global Development Group (PGDG).
"We are very grateful for the contribution. PostgreSQL Inc.'s example
shows other companies that you can contribute software to the open
source community and be successful."

About the company:
PostgreSQL, Inc. is a privately held commercial company whose mission
is to promote and advance the use and acceptance of PostgreSQL, the
world's most advanced open source database.

CONTACT  INFORMATION:
Marc Fournier
* PostgreSQL, Inc.
* 1 902 542 0713
* marc@pgsql.com

Josh Berkus
* PostgreSQL Global
  Development Group
* 1 415 565 7293
* press@postgresql.org



to post comments

Big thanks!

Posted Aug 27, 2003 6:47 UTC (Wed) by bojan (subscriber, #14302) [Link]

Thanks PostgreSQL team!

PostgreSQL, Inc. donates database replication software

Posted Aug 27, 2003 15:14 UTC (Wed) by gj (guest, #14508) [Link] (2 responses)

Thanks guys!
Maybe GPL will be a better choice for a licencing :-)

Why?

Posted Aug 27, 2003 16:37 UTC (Wed) by AnswerGuy (guest, #1256) [Link] (1 responses)


Why would GPL be better for PostgreSQL Inc. than BSD?

More importantly why would you nitpick on *their* choice?

What factors to you suppose the considered in making their decision?

Perhaps they want to feel free to create proprietary secondary derivatives
from this work (that is to say to create temporarily proprietary derivatives
from the first order derivatives that you or I might develop from these
sources). They are, after all, creating (temporarily) proprietary products.
Perhaps they use the BSD License because that's what the core PostgreSQL
code is released under; perhaps this is part of a tradition that dates back
to Postgres and Ingres, to Stonebreaker at the University of California at
Berkeley.

Perhaps people should think about the issues before posting knee-jerk
nit-picking drivel.

Why?

Posted Aug 29, 2003 18:30 UTC (Fri) by admiyo (guest, #14580) [Link]

Actually, GPL would protect them better than BSD because they are the copyright owner.

With BSD, anyone can make a closed source version

With GPL, only the copyright owner can make a closed source version.

However, with BSD, they don't really have to chase down people that contribute a huge amount of code to get them to assign copyright back to Postgres, Inc. in order to legally release a closed source version.

Either way, this is good code.

7.4

Posted Aug 27, 2003 20:50 UTC (Wed) by yodermk (subscriber, #3803) [Link] (1 responses)

Wait a minute -- I was under the impression that the PostgreSQL Global Development Team was developing replication for PG 7.4, to be released this fall.

Is this commercially developed replication something different? Better?

7.4

Posted Aug 28, 2003 10:02 UTC (Thu) by incx (guest, #922) [Link]

Neither replication nor Win32 port made it to 7.4. Win32 looks like a definite feature of 7.5 though.

PostgreSQL, Inc. donates database replication software

Posted Aug 30, 2003 3:09 UTC (Sat) by JustinClift (guest, #14588) [Link]

Most of you seem to have missed the point!

We released eRServer not because we want to "get a hold of other people's contributions", but instead because it's a feature that much of the Open Source Community was demanding (and a lot of them couldn't afford).

Why the BSD licence... easy. "Gift to Humanity".

"Actually, GPL would protect them better than BSD because they are the copyright owner.

With BSD, anyone can make a closed source version

With GPL, only the copyright owner can make a closed source version."

That's the *whole point* of the BSD licence... people are free to use it for *anything*. If a company decides to use this and develop it as a product... then good luck to them. It still advances OSS, and gives more options to people.

Regards and best wishes,

Justin Clift


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