Re: QuickLZ compression algorithm (Re: Inclusion in the PostgreSQL backend for toasting rows)

Alvaro Herrera wrote:
>> On Sat, Jan 3, 2009 at 17:56, Lasse Reinhold <lar(at)quicklz(dot)com> wrote:

>> > That sounds really exciting, I'd love to see QuickLZ included into
>> > PostgreSQL. I'd be glad to offer support and add custom optimizations,
>> > features or hacks or whatever should turn up.

>> > My only concern is to avoid undermining the commercial license, but this
>> > can, as you suggest, be solved by exceptionally allowing QuickLZ to be
>> > linked with PostgreSQL. Since I have exclusive copyright of QuickLZ any
>> > construction is possible.

>Hmm ... keep in mind that PostgreSQL is used as a base for a certain
>number of commercial, non-BSD products (Greenplum, Netezza,
>EnterpriseDB, Truviso, are the ones that come to mind). Would this
>exception allow for linking QuickLZ with them too? It doesn't sound to
>me like you're open to relicensing it under BSD, which puts us in an
>uncomfortable position.

I'm not speaking for Lasse, merely providing food for thought, but it sounds
feasible to me (and conforming to Lasse's spirit of his intended license)
to put something like the following license on his code, which would allow
inclusion into the PostgreSQL codebase and not restrict usage in any
of the derived works:

"Grant license to use the code in question without cost, provided that
the code is being linked to at least 50% of the PostgreSQL code it is
being distributed alongside with."

This should allow commercial reuse in derived products without undesirable
sideeffects.
--
Sincerely,
Stephen R. van den Berg.

"Well, if we're going to make a party of it, let's nibble Nobby's nuts!"