Resolve whether MySQL is completely free software

　MySQL may not be very powerful, but because it is open source, widely spread, so many people are aware of this database. In today's world is a very popular open source database, some people say that MySQL is completely free software, this is not right ah, the next will solve this mystery.

MySQL is the most popular open source database in the world. MySQL is also becoming more popular and widely watched in China. But some users in China for MySQL understanding there is still a misunderstanding, when the MySQL, many users first reaction is: "MySQL is not completely free software?" ”。 However, by poring over the GPLV2 protocol that MySQL follows, the conclusion is that MySQL is open source, but open source does not mean completely free, and that the advantage of open source can enable more people to improve and improve the code, but the use of open source software should follow the use of licensing protocol provided by the software.

Refer to the MySQL official website for instructions, we can find the exact answer to this question.

http://www.mysql.com/about/legal/licensing/oem/

The Oracle/sun company provides MySQL database servers and MySQL client libraries in a dual license format designed to meet the needs of commercial distributors (such as OEMS,ISVS and VARs) and open source projects for development and distribution requirements.

For Oems,isvs,vars and other commercial application distributors: Oems,isvs,vars and other distributors if the MySQL database is incorporated into the distributed commercial licensing software and is unwilling to follow the GNU GPL V2 Protocol to disclose the source code of the commercial licensing software, it must and oracle/ Sun company deals with business license agreement.

For open source projects and other open source application developers: For FOSS developers who follow the GPL, the Oracle/sun MySQL GPL open source software license will be the best option to distribute these open-source applications that contain MySQL. For software developers and distributors who follow the FOSS protocol rather than the GPL, Oracle/sun offers a GPL-licensed MySQL client library, with exceptions to FOSS to enable it to use these MySQL The client library does not allow the entire derivative software to comply with the GPL protocol.

In short, if you develop an application that uses MySQL and is not used for sales profits, you can make MySQL free, but you must also open your source code. Instead you are for sale, you should pay license fee.

MySQL is open source free software, when we talk about free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Open source free software is different from the general free software, many commercial software companies in the fierce market competition, also launched a free version such as Microsoft's free version of SQL Server.

David Axmark, one of the founders of MySQL, blamed the phenomenon: "Don't believe what they call open source." Open source and free is not a concept, the biggest meaning of open source is that the lowest source code is completely open, all users can see, can look for bugs, and then modify. The cost of free software is reduced, but it is never possible to improve quality in this way, which is the difference between us and them. ”

Open source and business is not contradictory, on the one hand, through the open source version of the MySQL database has a large number of users, product quality has been continuously improved and developed; On the other hand, open source makes the upfront research and development for business purpose users Zero, and the MySQL database receives revenue through the commercial license sales and support In a way, it can successfully solve the problem of how open source software is profitable and promote the long-term development of open source software products.

Along with the development of open source software in China, many related discussions have referred to legal issues, and more and more discussions and even disputes have shifted to the legal level. At the 2010 Open Source China Summit Forum, IT168 an interview with Ms Mishi Chowdhury, a legal expert at the Free Software Foundation, said: "Most of China's enterprises in the use of open source software and the existence of irregularities, so that the enterprise buried a huge potential risk." The purpose of this article is to help users understand the legal provisions related to the use of MySQL open source software.

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