RB MYSQL plugin is GPL? What does this mean?

Starbuck · **Joined:** Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:00 pm **Posts:** 493

I read this in another thread

Quote:

The fact is that REAL Software's mySQL plugin is licensed under the GPL, so if you use it, your application must be licensed under the GPL.

What does this mean?

How does this affect us with our RB made MYSQL applications?

TIA.

Aaron Ballman · **Posted:** Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:01 pm

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.htm ... GPLPlugins

From the link:

Quote:

It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. If the program uses fork and exec to invoke plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.
If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a single program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins, the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, but the communication between them is limited to invoking the `main' function of the plug-in with some options and waiting for it to return, that is a borderline case.

See also the question I am writing free software that uses a non-free library.

So, basically, if you use a GPL plugin (any GPL plugin), then your application must be GPL'ed. Note that this does not apply to REALbasic itself as it is a borderline case (at worst) -- it doesn't utilize any GPL plugins, it passes plugins along to the resulting application for actual use. Essentially, it invokes a main function and does nothing else with it.

IANAL, and I'm going to slink back out of the databases section now that I've done my post in it for this year.

dglass · **Posted:** Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:44 pm

It means that if you use the plugin as it was designed to be used:

You have an application that connects to a MySQL database so you put the MySQL Plugin in your Plugins folder and build the application

then your application must be GPL'd.

If you do other, more convoluted stuff, like create some secondary middleman, 'bot' thing that does all the interaction with the DB, then the 'bot' thing would be GPL'd but your application, which doesn't interact with the plugin directly would be safe from the GPL.

The above is my take-away from previous conversations about this on the NUG, and other places.

Aaron Ballman · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:10 pm

One more point which was told to me by a very reliable source is that this only applies if you distribute your application. If it's an internal application, then you don't have to distribute your source.

Starbuck · **Joined:** Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:00 pm **Posts:** 493

So if we're using the RB MYSQL plugin which is GPL'd and we're selling our applications we have to make them open source?

That seems like a horrible thing.

How can we sell our applications if everyone has the source code and could simply compile them for themselves?

What clients will be willing to pay a developer which demands the project be open source to the world?

Is that accurate information or am I wrong.

It sounds like this was a very poor choice of Real Software to use this.

Is anybody here actually using the RB MYSQL Plugin for any professional projects and if so can you post me the links so I can see the source code?

timhare · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 12:53 am

You just have to license the end user's server. If they already own a license, then no problem. Otherwise, you can buy a single server license directly from mySql - you don't need the annual contract unless you want the support. You have to contact their sales team directly, the web site doesn't even give a single server license as an option, but it is available direct.

Tim

dglass · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:03 am

Starbuck wrote:

So if we're using the RB MYSQL plugin which is GPL'd and we're selling our applications we have to make them open source?

Yes.

Quote:

That seems like a horrible thing.

Yep.

Quote:

What clients will be willing to pay a developer which demands the project be open source to the world?

In this case it wouldn't be too bad. If your client is only using the application internally, then you just give them the source and that's it.

If you are actually subcontracting for an application your client will release, then you are right back at having to release the source (or more accurately, your client will have to).

Quote:

Is that accurate information or am I wrong.

I don't think you are wrong.

Quote:

It sounds like this was a very poor choice of Real Software to use this.

Yes it does.

Quote:

Is anybody here actually using the RB MYSQL Plugin for any professional projects and if so can you post me the links so I can see the source code?

We pulled support of MySQL from version 5 of On-Target Reports for exactly this reason.

Aaron Ballman · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:16 am

dglass wrote:

Quote:

It sounds like this was a very poor choice of Real Software to use this.

Yes it does.

I disagree -- MySQL is a major DB vendor used by thousands of projects. It'd be a very poor choice to ignore it, IMMostlyUninformedO.

npalardy · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:26 am

It almost feels like mySQL has pulled a bait and swicth on people.
They got very popular and used a lot and then they started seriously going after people for the license fees.

I recommend other database to people besides mySQL precisely becuae of this. If it has to be open source run PostgreSQL. The license is very liberal.

gisborne · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:36 am

It deserves to be said: not only does PostgreSQL have a much more liberal license which will give you none of the difficulties we've been discussing, but:

- it's entirely free; and
- it's better in essentially every way than MySQL.

It still leaves me entirely confused why people keep making this vastly inferior choice. Inertia, I guess.

npalardy · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:46 am

Inertia and the common misconception that "mySQL is free".
Plus it is so common that the Web application acronym LAMP includes it.
Folks just use it because they still have this incorrect assumption about it being free for whatever they want to do with it.
And if you really NEED commercial level support for PostgreSQL you can get it (Enterprise DB and a few other organizations offer commercial level support)

gisborne · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:53 am

Yeah.

In my book, Postgres is up near the Linux kernel itself as a demonstration of the power of open source development. The only clearly more powerful database I know of is Oracle. And it's not *all that* much more powerful...

npalardy · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:06 am

Have you peeked at Enterprise DB ?

Although, having worked on a large Oracle install I have to say I'm pretty impressed with how fast it can be made to go. We did not have a huge machine but could easily get several tens of thousands of rows inserted per second without any trouble.

But it's not for the faint of heart nor simple to administer well.

gisborne · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:08 am

I've not had cause to look too closely at it, no. Might be interesting to summarize what you know here in case someone wants something more supported than Postgres.

npalardy · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 2:23 am

I've had no more than a curosory glance but know that it's postgres + extensions to make it so you can take your oracle stored procedures and run them in PostgreSQL

Basically as a means to move to less expensive license for a well supported DB

Oracles on big iron is still not cheap

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