[Maria-developers] License issues
Hi, I'm a packager for mageia, and i'm working to get branch 5.5 submitted on our system, replacing mysql. However, we have readline v6 on mageia, which is GPLv3, and serg added the NOT_FOR_DISTRIBUTION variable, which makes it build a bundled readline v5. well, it builds for us too, but later i get a conflict situation on our system between mariadb-common and mariadb-client (i didn't look deep into it). but normally we try to use as much system shared libraries as possible, also, what about security fixes + bug fixes in this bundled readline v5, etc... i donno how long v5 will be maintained by gnu, this is not an ideal situation. i've checked and noted that mariadb server is GPLv2only and mariadb client has a FLOSS exception... which doesn't mention GPLv3 so i'm a bit at a loss here, ideally we want to use system shared readline v6 on our distribution... it's a bit of a PITA for me, tbh, i mean, it's all open source, i don't really get why this is all so difficult... :-( I guess the easiest way for us is if mariadb was GPLv2+ we could go ahead and use readline v6. I guess i'm asking for a way to proceed for us. Regards, AL13N
Op donderdag 29 december 2011 10:21:35 schreef Maarten Vanraes:
Hi,
I'm a packager for mageia, and i'm working to get branch 5.5 submitted on our system, replacing mysql.
However, we have readline v6 on mageia, which is GPLv3, and serg added the NOT_FOR_DISTRIBUTION variable, which makes it build a bundled readline v5. well, it builds for us too, but later i get a conflict situation on our system between mariadb-common and mariadb-client (i didn't look deep into it).
but normally we try to use as much system shared libraries as possible, also, what about security fixes + bug fixes in this bundled readline v5, etc... i donno how long v5 will be maintained by gnu, this is not an ideal situation.
i've checked and noted that mariadb server is GPLv2only and mariadb client has a FLOSS exception... which doesn't mention GPLv3
so i'm a bit at a loss here, ideally we want to use system shared readline v6 on our distribution...
it's a bit of a PITA for me, tbh, i mean, it's all open source, i don't really get why this is all so difficult... :-(
I guess the easiest way for us is if mariadb was GPLv2+ we could go ahead and use readline v6.
I guess i'm asking for a way to proceed for us.
Regards,
AL13N
I don't know if this is related or not, but i found this text: http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E17952_01/refman-5.1-en/license-gnu-readline.html i note the "or later" in this text. does this mean that the GPLv2 license is also a GPLv2+ license for mysql?
Hi!
"Maarten" == Maarten Vanraes <alien@mageia.org> writes:
<cut> Maarten> I don't know if this is related or not, but i found this text: Maarten> http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E17952_01/refman-5.1-en/license-gnu-readline.html Maarten> i note the "or later" in this text. Maarten> does this mean that the GPLv2 license is also a GPLv2+ license for mysql? What the above means is that if Oracle uses any GPL software that specifies 'GPLV2 or later', Oracle will use it under GPLv2. It does not mean that the MySQL software that Oracle releases under GPLv2 can be combined with other GPLv3 code :( Regards, Monty
Op vrijdag 30 december 2011 00:11:40 schreef Michael Widenius:
Hi!
"Maarten" == Maarten Vanraes <alien@mageia.org> writes: <cut>
Maarten> I don't know if this is related or not, but i found this text: Maarten> http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E17952_01/refman-5.1-en/license-gnu-readline.htm l
Maarten> i note the "or later" in this text.
Maarten> does this mean that the GPLv2 license is also a GPLv2+ license for mysql?
What the above means is that if Oracle uses any GPL software that specifies 'GPLV2 or later', Oracle will use it under GPLv2.
It does not mean that the MySQL software that Oracle releases under GPLv2 can be combined with other GPLv3 code :(
Regards, Monty
thanks for the explanation, it was totally unclear to me, but IANAL.
Hi, Maarten! On Dec 29, Maarten Vanraes wrote:
I'm a packager for mageia, and i'm working to get branch 5.5 submitted on our system, replacing mysql.
However, we have readline v6 on mageia, which is GPLv3, and serg added the NOT_FOR_DISTRIBUTION variable, which makes it build a bundled readline v5. well, it builds for us too, but later i get a conflict situation on our system between mariadb-common and mariadb-client (i didn't look deep into it).
but normally we try to use as much system shared libraries as possible, also, what about security fixes + bug fixes in this bundled readline v5, etc... i donno how long v5 will be maintained by gnu, this is not an ideal situation.
i've checked and noted that mariadb server is GPLv2only and mariadb client has a FLOSS exception... which doesn't mention GPLv3
so i'm a bit at a loss here, ideally we want to use system shared readline v6 on our distribution...
it's a bit of a PITA for me, tbh, i mean, it's all open source, i don't really get why this is all so difficult... :-(
I guess the easiest way for us is if mariadb was GPLv2+ we could go ahead and use readline v6.
I guess i'm asking for a way to proceed for us.
The problem is - MariaDB is GPLv2, it has to be, because MySQL is GPLv2. And GPLv2 and GPLv3 are not compatible. That is, if one creates a derived work from GPLv2 and GPLv3 software (and linking classifies as creating a "derived work" as far as I understand), the result will be neither GPLv2 nor GPLv3. And by distributing it one will inevitably break GPL. It's exactly the same for MySQL, one cannot legally link MySQL with a system readline v6. and it's a PITA, I'm totally agree here. As for the way to proceed... I think we're not the only GPLv2 project out there. And as unfortunate as it is, we cannot change it. Some distributions decided to maintain readline v5 package, in parallel to the latest readline. This seems to be the most reasonable approach - mysql and mariadb can use system readline, and even GPLv2 software that don't bundle readline can be used too. Another option for you would be to build mariadb with a system libedit, if you have such a thing. By the way, the FOSS exception only applies to the client library, not to the command line client, as far as I know. And readline is only used by the command line client, not the library. Regards, Sergei
On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Sergei Golubchik <serg@askmonty.org> wrote:
I think we're not the only GPLv2 project out there. And as unfortunate as it is, we cannot change it. Some distributions decided to maintain readline v5 package, in parallel to the latest readline. This seems to be the most reasonable approach - mysql and mariadb can use system readline, and even GPLv2 software that don't bundle readline can be used too.
Unrelated to MariaDB or MySQL, but as a general point: the readline v5 that is GPLv2 licensed can also be linked with software that is under the GPLv3, if it is licensed with the "any later version" wording. (I didn't actually confirm that it is.) Hence, a distribution like Mageia could ship readline v5 and satisfy both GPLv2 apps and GPLv3 apps. Otoh by shipping newer GPLv3 version of readline you leave GPLv2 projects out of luck. (I'm pretty sure readline developers didn't quite realize what they were doing here. Their original goal with their choice of license was to create an advantage for GPL licensed apps, now they are doing exactly the opposite.) henrik -- henrik.ingo@avoinelama.fi +358-40-8211286 skype: henrik.ingo irc: hingo www.openlife.cc My LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=9522559
On Thu, Dec 29, 2011 at 12:30 PM, Sergei Golubchik <serg@askmonty.org> wrote:
I think we're not the only GPLv2 project out there. And as unfortunate as it is, we cannot change it. Some distributions decided to maintain readline v5 package, in parallel to the latest readline. This seems to be the most reasonable approach - mysql and mariadb can use system readline, and even GPLv2 software that don't bundle readline can be used too.
Unrelated to MariaDB or MySQL, but as a general point: the readline v5 that is GPLv2 licensed can also be linked with software that is under the GPLv3, if it is licensed with the "any later version" wording. (I didn't actually confirm that it is.) Hence, a distribution like Mageia could ship readline v5 and satisfy both GPLv2 apps and GPLv3 apps. Otoh by shipping newer GPLv3 version of readline you leave GPLv2 projects out of luck.
yes, i figured that, but readline v5 would mean likely no maintained version from upstream, likely...
(I'm pretty sure readline developers didn't quite realize what they were doing here. Their original goal with their choice of license was to create an advantage for GPL licensed apps, now they are doing exactly the opposite.)
henrik
since readline is on gnu, i'm pretty sure they know _exactly_ what they are doing... RMS just wants to force GPLv3 down everyones throat :-(
participants (4)
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Henrik Ingo -
Maarten Vanraes -
Michael Widenius -
Sergei Golubchik