maria-discuss team mailing list archive

[Arjen Lentz <arjen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Monty

On 08/10/2009, at 8:48 AM, Michael Widenius wrote:
> Arjen> Dual would only make sense for discrete/distinct components,  
> but even
> Arjen> there it might be easier to just have it be GPL or BSD.
>
> This is for the case where the customer does not want to have the code
> under GPL. BSD is not an option as then they could release the code
> and we would not have any dual-license revenue anymore.

I regard the traditional dual licensing (in this context) as a non- 
viable revenue model.
If it's custom code, have user pay for it and license code as GPL or  
BSD.
If it's BSD, they can also use it in commercial - you could charge  
extra for making it BSD rather than GPL, for instance.


> Arjen> People come back to the original company for expertise/ 
> customisation
> Arjen> anyway, as they're the experts. As long as the service is good.
> Arjen> There's also no incentive to like republish stuff, as that  
> wouldn't be
> Arjen> the core business of the client company. They wouldn't have  
> interest
> Arjen> in that.
>
> If you are successful, there is always someone who will take  
> advantage of you...

Some will, so be it.
They'd have to be a customer first to do this (with the above example)  
and you wouldn't keep them as a customer anyway, so there's no real  
loss.
In general, people will act properly - particularly if the environment  
is *perceived* as fair to them.


> Look for example at MySQL;  If they would license their GPL code as
> BSD, they would at once loose all their licensing business.


Good. I wish Sun/MySQL all the best and success, and for their own  
good their old licensing has to cease.
It is still causing a lot of bad publicity.
It also rips off users/clients, because unscrupulus Sun/MySQL sales  
people selling licenses where none are required.
By stopping it, this would make a clear statement that Sun does not  
support that kind of behaviour.

It's no longer part of a legitimate business model, it's turned out as  
a devious scam.
Furthermore, people *perceive* it as a scam, and thus it's not  
interesting for you or I to be doing something similar.
"Dual Licensing" in the sphere of MySQL is a no-winner. Just drop it  
and lead by example.


Cheers,
Arjen.
--
Arjen Lentz, Exec.Director @ Open Query (http://openquery.com)
Exceptional Services for MySQL at a fixed budget.

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