The race to replace Redis [LWN.net]

The race to replace Redis

Posted Apr 8, 2024 15:53 UTC (Mon) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239)
In reply to: The race to replace Redis by immibis
Parent article: The race to replace Redis

But in that case, what would be the use of SSPL - if you want to argue that copyright works that way, AGPL already covers the scenarios that SSPL is intended to cover?

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The race to replace Redis

Posted Apr 9, 2024 10:19 UTC (Tue) by immibis (subscriber, #105511) [Link] (4 responses)

The FSF's opinion is that it doesn't. Even if it actually does, it can be valuable to make it explicit in the licence so that everyone is on the same page.

The race to replace Redis

Posted Apr 9, 2024 16:29 UTC (Tue) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link] (3 responses)

The AGPL explicitly applies to derived works. If the FSF disagrees that the areas the SSPL covers are covered by the AGPL, that implies that it's not obvious that these are derived works.

The race to replace Redis

Posted Apr 10, 2024 10:44 UTC (Wed) by immibis (subscriber, #105511) [Link] (2 responses)

When I link libslice (AGPL), libdice, and sockets to make slicendiceserv, I'm required to release the source code of libdice under AGPL even though it is not a derivative work of libslice.

The race to replace Redis

Posted Apr 10, 2024 19:46 UTC (Wed) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link] (1 responses)

No, you're required to release the source code for the entire work that's a derivative of the AGPL work. There's broad (but not 100%) agreement that that argument can be made for other dynamically linked libraries incorporated into the work, but I don't see any widespread argument that purely as a matter of copyright law it can be taken further.

The race to replace Redis

Posted Apr 10, 2024 21:42 UTC (Wed) by immibis (subscriber, #105511) [Link]

What do you mean by "purely as a matter of copyright law"? The libslice license agreement states that to copy libslice, you must do X, Y and Z. Z is releasing the source code of libdice under AGPL. If you don't do that, you have no right to run slicendiceserv on the network as you copied libslice without permission.

There is no need for libslice and libdice to have any relationship, for this to apply. It is as if I make a contract with you: I give you $5, and you refuse to paint John's house. We can enter that contract even if neither of us is a house painter and even if neither of us know where John lives. There's no asking "as a matter of house painting law, can the $5 be related to the house painting?"