MySQL license and revolution

[Richard Gaskin]

Tuviah Snyder wrote:

> It says:
> 
>> If you include one of the MySQL drivers in your non Open Source application
> (so that your application can run with >MySQL), you need a commercial
> licence for the driver(s) in question. The MySQL drivers currently include
> an >ODBC driver, a JDBC driver and the C language library.
> So will we have to remove the libmysql.dll driver from the Revolution
> distribution? The revdb database driver just links to this library at
> runtime.
> 
> I thought MySQL was open source, doesn't sound open and free to me.

There's the insideous seduction of the GPL:  you can us free stuff only in
free stuff.  It becomes commercial stuff when used in commercial stuff.

That's why the BSD license is considered more "business friendly", and why
Raymond and Stallman don't get along. ;)

I've been thinking of releasing components under GPL specifically for that
reason:  they gain noteriety but pose no commercial threat, at least until
someone comes along with enough money to be able to afford building
something with it on uncompensated time.

The irony of GPL is that it can unfairly favor the wealthy:  common workers
need to eat and pay rent, leaving only those with sufficient wealth for
significant leisure projects able to work on GPL stuff.  Once this wealth is
applied to an application category, "free" can have the same effect as the
antitrust violation of "dumping", driving working people out of the market
leaving only the product driven by unrelated wealth.

Sorry Mr. Stallman, but that's what happens in a "gift economy" when
programmers are the only ones gifting while landlords and grocers still
expect to be paid. ;)

-- 
 Richard Gaskin 
 Fourth World Media Corporation
 ___________________________________________________________
 Ambassador at FourthWorld.com       http://www.FourthWorld.com
 Tel: 323-225-3717                       AIM: FourthWorldInc