Re: Berkeley DB license terms (was Re: Proposal...)

> Several people have asked about the terms of the Berkeley DB license,
> and the conditions under which users need to pay Sleepycat for
> redistribution.
> 
> To clarify, you're permitted to redistribute binary copies of your
> application, including Berkeley DB, as long as source code is freely
> available *somewhere*.  Anyone could compile and sell PostgreSQL on
> a CD without paying Sleepycat, because the source code remains
> available on PostgreSQL.org.
> 
> Lots of people ship binary copies of the OpenLDAP directory server,
> which uses Berkeley DB.  They don't pay us.  Only the companies that
> ship proprietary directory servers do.
> 
> License fees are only required if you make a proprietary version of
> the Open Source product.  For example, if a vendor took PostgreSQL,
> made changes to the backend, and didn't contribute those changes
> back to PostgreSQL.org, then the vendor would have to pay Sleepycat
> for the right to redistribute our software as a part of the package.

Seems this changes our license more toward GPL.  I don't think that is
going to be supportable by the group.  I doubt we are willing to modify
our license in order to use the Sleepycat DB code.

We don't use GPL code in PostgreSQL for the same reason.

> I understand the implications of the BSD and GPL licenses, and why
> they're appropriate or inappropriate for particular cases.  If the
> Berkeley DB license imposes conditions on PostgreSQL that aren't
> in keeping with the desires of the developers, then of course the
> proposed project won't work.

Sorry, looks like a deal killer.  Of course, others will voice their
opinions.  This is just my guess.

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