Stéphane Croisier said on Thu, Feb 26, 2004 at 06:10:52PM +0100,:
> "Free use for those who never copy, modify or distribute. As long as you
> never distribute (internally or externally) the MySQL Software in any way,
> you are free to use it for powering your application, irrespective of
> whether your application is under GPL license or not."
It simply means `we never bother if what license your software is
under, so long as you do not distribute'.
IMHO, these words make no difference, coz. this is what the position
is as per the GPL, even if MySQL did not say so.
It is surely ridiculous if, by `distribute' MySQL really means that if
you send a copy of MySQL along with your own software from your
headoffice to your branchoffice, your software should be under the
GPL. The branch office can simply go to www.mysql.com/downloads and
remain in compliance with the GPL.
And even if MySQL AB did not say so, your produce which *depends* on
MySQL has to be under a GPL compatible license; else you will be
violating the conditions of license under which you are using your
copy of mysql.
And even if MySQL did not explicitly say so, being copyright holders
of mysql the product, they are within their rights to give me a
separate of their product, and allow me to combine my nonfree software
with a non-free copy of mysql. This is flows from the law relating to
copyright; not any license terms. Just in case you did not get the
point, the Free Software Foundation, being copyright holders of a
(fictional) package called GNU FOO, can license it to M$ for a fee,
and can allow M$ to withhold sources to their modifications. FSF will
not do this, is a different matter altogether.
--
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Mahesh T. Pai, LL.M.,
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http://paivakil.port5.com
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