It seems that Sterling and others are talking about the licensing conflict between PHP (BSD) and MySQL's updated client library (GPL).
This may be a bit premature, since the folk at MySQL are considering a blanket exemption for Open Source projects with OSI approved licenses.
Yo, MySQL folks! What's the word? Can we get this straightened out before too many people blow it out of proportion?
Zak? How 'bout it?
If there's anything the Open Source freaks are good at, it's blowing stupid licensing debates way out of proportion.
Posted by jzawodn at June 23, 2003 08:26 PM
it's not just a consideration, it's just a matter of finding the right language. zak is working his usual frenzy to resolve the matter.
Nope, I've talked with Zak pretty extensively about this. We can include MySQL support, an exception is under the works, which will solve that problem.
The problem is when you use the new MySQL libraries, and we would have to because MySQL 4.1 breaks backwards compatiblity with 3.23. Your product, should it be redistributed, must be distributed under an open source license.
If you use the PHP-MySQL extension to build an application and you distribute that commercially, you must buy a MySQL license. Or, if you commercially redistribute a PHP binary that is linked with MySQL (which is most often the case if it is bundled), then you need to buy a MySQL license.
This is fine. As a project we aren't going to dictate to the MySQL folks what they should do. However, we won't make MySQL the *default* library anymore, as their license directly conflicts with the spirit of our license.
The second issue is that PHP is not OSI approved, therefore we wouldn't be able to bundle support for MySQL 4.1, yet. MySQL has an exception clause in the works which solves this, I have full confidence they will deliver it. However, we aren't going to hold up our beta process while they get their license clause finished up. Therefore, the initial betas of PHP5 may not include MySQL 4.1 support. Later betas most certainly will (along with Georg Richter's cool new MySQLi extension).
Sorry to overload your weblog. :)
The draft license extension has made it through internal review and is now going through a private external review.
We will likely choose extend the license by allowing MySQL software to be distributed as part of any combined work that is licensed entirely under one or more Free / Open Source Software licenses.
How does one determine if something is a Free / Open Source License - we will have a fixed list that undergoes periodic review. The list will be based on the OSI (http://www.opensource.org/) list of approved licenses, but might include other licenses.
a note on the compatibility of 3.23 client libraries and 4.1 servers -- you can connect with a 4.1 server using 3.23 client libraries if the user you are connecting as has not adopted 4.1's new password system (so it has a 16-byte Password value in the mysql.user table).
SQLite is good for certain things and as such it is a good addition to the PHP default install. However, SQLite does not seem to support large tables, many concurrent users, or complex joins (at least according to http://www.hwaci.com/sw/sqlite/speed.html), in addition, there is no GRANT system to control user access (which of course your PHP app can do itself).
And hey, without replication, you are in big trouble if your little project gets really popular.
I say there is a job for every tool and a tool for every job, and while SQLite is the tool for some jobs, MySQL will remain the tool for others.
And then there is always Postgresql, as well. No licensing problems there, since it's basically a BSD-style license.
