[Fwd: Re: PG functions in Java: maybe use gcj?]

Forwarding to hackers a discussion that has been happening off list.
--Barry

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [HACKERS] PG functions in Java: maybe use gcj?
Date: 01 Nov 2002 19:13:39 +0000
From: Oliver Elphick <olly(at)lfix(dot)co(dot)uk>
To: Barry Lind <blind(at)xythos(dot)com>
References: <819(dot)1036006197(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
<3DC0AA42(dot)4000205(at)xythos(dot)com> <3715(dot)1036037428(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
<3DC175F7(dot)90901(at)xythos(dot)com> <1036153748(dot)24598(dot)70(dot)camel(at)linda>
<3DC2C5A4(dot)2080005(at)xythos(dot)com>

On Fri, 2002-11-01 at 18:19, Barry Lind wrote:
> Oliver,
>
> Thanks for the explaination. This makes sense.
>
> However I think the proposal Tom was suggesting would require linking in
> more than just the runtime. Since create function would need to call
> the compiler itself to compile the function into java bytecode or
> directly to a .so.

If we had to supply gcj along with PostgreSQL in order for PostgreSQL to
work, I guess that would mean gcj was incorporated in PostgreSQL - that
would mean PostgreSQL would become subject to GPL protection.

If CREATE FUNCTION called a java compiler (which might or might not be
gcj) that PostgreSQL did not supply, that compiler would not be
incorporated. If there were no java compiler, java functions would not
work, but otherwise PostgreSQL would be unaffected. It would be the
same as any of the tools that get called in our shell scripts, many of
which may be GNU utilities, including, of course, the shell itself.

As for the virtual machine, I think that is what libgcj supplies, and it
is specifically excluded from having GPL effects by its licence.

(You didn't post to the list, so I haven't; but I have no objection to
your forwarding this there.)
--
Oliver Elphick Oliver(dot)Elphick(at)lfix(dot)co(dot)uk
Isle of Wight, UK
http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
GPG: 1024D/3E1D0C1C: CA12 09E0 E8D5 8870 5839 932A 614D 4C34 3E1D 0C1C
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