re: "If it only works with Oracle, and you only distribute the Oracle portion of DbLinq, then what? Everything is fine?"
Generally speaking "Yes", if you modify DbLinq so that all references to the Ingres and MySQL provider are removed, then you are no longer touching the GPL. If you never distribute you app but only use it "in house" then you are also fine even if you do not modify DbLinq (you can not get in trouble no matter how much you use GPL code). BUT........ There are situations where companies has been split up or parts sold off, suddenly in house developed applications are now distributed and hence under the GPL distribution requirements again. So it is not clear cut for any given IT department if DbLinq is ok to use even in house. The standard rule is "Don't use GPL code in your development unless you are prepared to distribute your source code" re: " If your software allows 3rd party plugins, licensing issues would be the problem of the 3rd party" There are only a few cases where the developer has been held responsible for what 3rd party developers has been doing with their code. So unless you step on the toes of Apple or the US Government then you will probably be ok :-) re: "You would not be able to license the plugin as GPL since the main program isn't" This is from the GPL FAQ right? This explanation is established to deter sneaky developers from developing applications that has a proprietary layer but will only work with a GPL licensed plug in. For example if the DAL layer in your (proprietary) application is plugable, and one such plug in you provide is a "MySQL plug in" licensed under the GPL (it might be the only one or it might not) , then you have tried to circumvent the GPL according to the FAQ (that represents the interpretation of the FSF. ie. this is what the FSF thinks the words in the GPL license means). re: "but would it also prevent (legal) in-house development of such plugin?" The GPL only covers distribution of software so this entirely depends on your in-house rules how "legal" it is. If you have a rule that says "don't touch the GPL" and you ignore this, you might get fired. However the company is for sure not doing something illegal in relation to the GPL as long as they don't distribute, but it might be illegal in relation to the original software (depending on the EULA of the original software and other things). Just to clear a few tings up: 1. If you do not distribute software, you do not need to license your code at all. 2. Licenses are for distribution. 3. The GPL is one such license that covers distribution of software. 4. According to the FSF FAQ you cannot create an application that is designed to load a "specific" GPL "Plug in" without licensing the application itself under the GPL. 5. DbLinq is such an application that is designed to load the GPL licensed Ingres and MySQL data providers and therefore in its current form cannot be distributed outside of the GPL. 6. The MySQL license exception is worth nothing because it does not give you any additional distribution rights that you did not already have under the GPL, and it does not remove any of the obligations that you have under the GPL either. Regards Jens On Fri, Jul 17, 2009 at 1:16 PM, Sami M. Kallio<[email protected]> wrote: > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Jens Jacobsen" <[email protected]> >> >> Finally the question of is it legal to redistribute an unmodified >> version of DbLinq if your application is not designed to work with >> MySQL or Ingres but will in fact only work with Oracle (or something >> not GPL). > > If it only works with Oracle, and you only distribute the Oracle portion of > DbLinq, then what? Everything is fine? > > DbLinq.dll -> Data -> Linq -> SqlClient, remove other providers and leave > OracleProvider.cs. In you software package, distribute DbLinq. Oracle.dll > and DbLinq.dll, nothing else. Would this do the trick? You might not even > have to remove anything from DbLinq.dll since it doesn't seem to link > against anything GPL but might as well to be safe. > > If your software allows 3rd party plugins, licensing issues would be the > problem of the 3rd party. You would not be able to license the plugin as GPL > since the main program isn't, but would it also prevent (legal) in-house > development of such plugin? > > - Sami > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DbLinq" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/dblinq?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
