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Re: Open Source Oracle?

From: Howard J. Rogers <hjr_at_dizwell.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2004 14:23:01 +1000
Message-ID: <41467226$0$20581$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au>


Daniel Morgan wrote:

> Howard J. Rogers wrote:
> 

>> I wish Oracle Corp. would release obsolete versions (7 and 8.0, for
>> example) as open source.
>>
>> Just because those versions don't have Java, XML and other whistles and
>> bells, it doesn't mean they wouldn't make a fine replacement for the
>> MySQL and Postgress stuff that usually gets included in all the normal
>> Linux distributions these days.
>>
>> Fat chance, of course.
>>
>> Just wishing and idly dreaming...
>>
>> Regards
>> HJR
> 
> No doubt Microsoft and others would love to get their hands on the
> source code. All that effort put into getting MVCC into Yukon and
> they could just steal it.

Nothing a GPL won't fix: if you use this source code, your product (to use MS terminology) is now "infected" by the GPL, and you cannot sell it without also making it open source. MS wouldn't touch it with the proverbial barge pole.

Besides, as you point out: MS *is* putting that sort of stuff into their product, so there's less loss in Oracle being open about how they did 15 years ago. :) They might be giving away "trade secrets", but they're secrets nobody really wants to see any more because they've independently acquired the technology.

I can understand not wanting to release the source to sexy new-ish things like RAC, Data Guard, ASM, ADDM and the rest of the alphabet soup. But in my fantasy land, that is not required.

But if it really is a problem, then just a free binary download of -say- version 7 unencumbered by most license restrictions would be very nice. Bundle it up with all the major Linux distros, even nicer.

Regards
HJR Received on Mon Sep 13 2004 - 23:23:01 CDT

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