Re: MySQL.org

[btjones]

I hate to differ with you here, John... but please check the following URL
and notice the price tag on it --

http://www.redhat.com/products/software/linux/7-1_standard.html

RedHat is betting on, correctly so, that users in general will not spend
the time and effort to download over 100 meg of data, burn their own CD and
then install the OS from it.  This particular package also sells for $49.95
at my local Office Depot.  It's perfectly legal to make CD collections of
GPL'd software, which is why RedHat does it.   What I was pointing out is
that they are using the income from this to further increase the
distribution network.  If RedHat was only available from one website,
wasn't advertised on major internet sites, wasn't in my local office supply
store -- do you really think it would have taken the market share it has?

I think it best for both parties involved that agreements get made and made
quickly.  All of the correspondence I've seen from NuSphere indicates they
are more than willing to release the Gemini code GPL.  They are simply
stating that the mySQL side of the world will have to establish the
resources to distribute it.  Of course they will continue to sell their
commercially supported version of the software, and mySQL AB should be
happy for that.  Does mySQL AB not do the same?  Each installation of their
$495 package is one more user not using Oracle or MSSQL.

It's time to stop the name-calling and work out a way for both companies to
profit from mySQL's success.




John Dean <john@stripped> wrote:

>>Linux has gotten itself out of the "hackers" domain into the mainstream
due
>>to the commercial investments of companies like RedHat and Caldera, both
of
>>which sell the GPL product at a profit, including their own enhancements
to
>>it.

>Sorry, you are wrong again. Their profits come from Training and
>Certification, Support and Consulting. Even so the source code is
available
>for download which is not the case with Gemini

        <___/