Comments on: JDBC, MySQL and the GPL http://www.symphonious.net/2004/03/17/jdbc-mysql-and-the-gpl/ Living in a state of accord. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:07:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Henric Rosvall http://www.symphonious.net/2004/03/17/jdbc-mysql-and-the-gpl/comment-page-1/#comment-82637 Henric Rosvall Tue, 29 May 2007 09:20:49 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/?p=52#comment-82637 I'm having the exact same problem. I need to be able to fetch data from a multitude of sources - like MS SQLServer, Firebird, MySQL, Oracle, CSV-files, and such in my software. None of the JDBC-drivers except for MySQL uses GPL, and since the other components are a part of my software, they incidentally become "Derived Work" from MySQL as soon as I include the MySQL-jdbc-driver. So not only do I have to release my own code under GPL - much of which is heavilly derived from Batik, but all of the other components also have to be released under GPL, and we all know that's not going to happen. And just as in your software, MySQL is a really tiny part of the application, that isn't going to be used much at all. So because of their GPL-license, it seems I'm going to have to drop the support for MySQL-databases (unless they give me an extremely good price on their non-GPL:ed JDBC-driver), which kind of sucks... In fact, I don't really understand why they want to make money of the JDBC-driver. Normally you'd pay for the database-server-software, and the software for connecting to the server would be free to use as you like. Otherwise there isn't a single piece of software that would be able to use the database-server, and sales would plummet... I’m having the exact same problem. I need to be able to fetch data from a multitude of sources - like MS SQLServer, Firebird, MySQL, Oracle, CSV-files, and such in my software.
None of the JDBC-drivers except for MySQL uses GPL, and since the other components are a part of my software, they incidentally become “Derived Work” from MySQL as soon as I include the MySQL-jdbc-driver. So not only do I have to release my own code under GPL - much of which is heavilly derived from Batik, but all of the other components also have to be released under GPL, and we all know that’s not going to happen.

And just as in your software, MySQL is a really tiny part of the application, that isn’t going to be used much at all. So because of their GPL-license, it seems I’m going to have to drop the support for MySQL-databases (unless they give me an extremely good price on their non-GPL:ed JDBC-driver), which kind of sucks…

In fact, I don’t really understand why they want to make money of the JDBC-driver. Normally you’d pay for the database-server-software, and the software for connecting to the server would be free to use as you like. Otherwise there isn’t a single piece of software that would be able to use the database-server, and sales would plummet…

]]> By: Scott Carr http://www.symphonious.net/2004/03/17/jdbc-mysql-and-the-gpl/comment-page-1/#comment-57 Scott Carr Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://localhost/wordpress/?p=52#comment-57 MySQL Licensing is a whole lot less than SQL Server. If you already had SQL Server, then why not just use it? PostgresQL is LGPL I believe. MySQL Licensing is a whole lot less than SQL Server. If you already had SQL Server, then why not just use it?

PostgresQL is LGPL I believe.

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