Re: More grist for the PostgreSQL vs MySQL mill

On Sun, 2007-01-21 at 10:01, Shashank wrote:
> > It seems MySQL just dropped the ball on
> > the free version of their product, and it
>
> Not sure what you mean. I can download their latest versions without
> any trouble.
>
>
> > Additionally, they feel that Oracle is such a threat that they have dumped
> > BDB (I believe this move was after Oracle acquired Sleepycat) and now they
> > announced they are dumping InnoDB (again after Oracle acquired it).
>
>
> Where is this announcement? They don't need to drop either engine, as
> both are GPL. MySQL as a group was never too hot with BDB. As for
> InnoDB, if Oracle acts up, the GPL allows MySQL or any of its community
> members to fork out a separate version.

It has been hinted at by a few mysql guys here and there. Not sure if
they'll do it. Here's the problem with GPL InnoDB for MySQL in a
nutshell:

MySQL makes money by selling a commercially licensed (i.e. not GPLd)
version of its database. All the code in MySQL is either solely under
the copyright of MySQL AB or licensed from other parties who hold sole
copyright to the code (InnoDB).

So, if MySQL forks InnoDB, they cannot include it in their commercial
offering without GPLing the whole commercial offering. Which blows
their business model apart.

So, if Oracle shows up at the end of the innodb contract and goes
"That'll be $10,000 a copy for innodb commercial licenses" then MySQL
either pays them that for each copy of MySQL they sell with a commercial
license, or they yank out the code, or they stop selling commercial
licenses and go GPL only.