> From: Ted Roche
> Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 12:46 PM
>
> On May 31, 2005, at 2:22 PM, Scott Ramey wrote:
>
> > Excuse the dumb question but, are there any licensing problems with
> > using
> > MySql in a widely distributed commercial product.
>
> Not a dumb question, it actually has a rather complex answer. In
> short form, MySQL can be distributed at no cost if your application
> is licensed under the GPL, but will require a commercial license
> otherwise.
[Scott Ramey] Unfortunately, I'm in business to make money and have to get
the commercial license -- which I don't mind.
>
> If you want to be able to distribute your software under a different
> license, there are several other databases that will let you do that
> at no cost. PostgreSQL seems to be among the most popular, but it's
> worth searching around.
[Scott Ramey] I'll take a look at PostgresSQL. My main concern is that I am
selling a commercial product and the buyers have a reasonable expectation
that they are receiving first rate software that will service their needs
for the next several years with minimal problems. What makes me cautious
about a free product is "where will it be in five or ten years?" OTOH, you
don't need to remind me that I sometimes wonder that about VFP, or the next
great thing out of Redmond.
Scott
©2005 Scott Ramey |
