[Mono-devel-list] ByteFX development

[Chris Morgan]

> Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the licence of the
> MySql database only allows you to develop apps that are open source. If you
> are intending on selling/distributing a commercial product that uses MySql
> as the backend, then you are required you to purchase a comercial licence
> for MySql.
>
> Because of this, the LGPL version of ByteFX is only of any use to open
> source projects. If you want to sell a comercial product, you need to
> purchase the licence, which I guess will also include their commercial
> version of the GPL library that MySql provides.
>
> I think this might eliminate the need to develop the LGPL version if the
> main intent is that it can be use in commercial applications.

After some discussion on #mono it seems like MySql simply isn't being clear.  
The ByteFX implementation is fully managed, it doesn't link to any mysql 
libraries.  From mysql's website:

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/Using_the_MySQL_software_under_a_commercial_license.html

"When you distribute a non-GPL application that works only with the MySQL 
software and ship it with the MySQL software. This type of solution is 
considered to be linking even if it's done over a network."

That is the only questionable claim that they seem to make.  It seems kind of 
unreasonable to think that just the act of talking to a MySql database could 
cause you to have to GPL your program.  ByteFX would fall under this clause, 
if the clause is even something that the GPL specifies.

Chris