On Fri, Jun 06, 2003 at 02:51:31PM -0400, Brian T. Sniffen wrote: > > Would it be reasonable to ask them to "snapshot" the OSI license list > > with every release? This would ensure that the permission to link isn't > > retroactively revoked by a third party, while saving MySQL AB the work > > of coming up with their own definition of what they consider acceptable. > > As long as this is a list of *additional* linking permissions, and the > > contributors are ok with this sort of license, I don't see any reason > > why this couldn't work. > The contributors would each need to assent to each change of the list, or > assign copyright to MySQL, or assent to the schema of changes (and I'd > assume that last to be shaky). > That's a lot of paperwork for each release. Why? If MySQL themselves can offer a license that references an external list (the OSI list), why can't the MySQL contributors do the same with regards to a list vetted by MySQL? I don't think Branden was objecting to the legal validity of this technique, only to the impracticality of depending on such a list that could change over time and result in de facto changes to the license of code already in use. > > Other than that issue, I think this would nicely address Debian's needs. > > I'm pleased to see MySQL AB taking this step to clarify the license of > > the client libraries. > It seems at that point that it would be easier to just put it under > the LGPL. Except that the LGPL permits use of the code in ways that MySQL does not want to allow. -- Steve Langasek postmodern programmer
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