[Libreoffice] minutes of tech. steering call ...

[Michael Meeks]

Hi Lionel,

On Fri, 2011-12-02 at 01:49 +0100, Lionel Elie Mamane wrote:
> 1) Change configure.in to detect / use the MariaDB lib instead of /
>    alternatively to the MySQL C Connector. I see not reason not to
>    leave people the choice;

	Makes sense.

> Note that we still (maybe?) have a GPL problem with using the C++
> connector. Maybe, because MySQL stuff used to not be straight-GPL, but
> GPL + exceptions for open source projects.

	So - we are an LGPL project as a tactic, since we compete with a
Microsoft Office that appears to be free (since it is semi-ubiquitous)
for ISVs; and many of them depend on it and in doing so reinforce that
ecosystem.

	Bundling with MySQL's (IMHO horribly busted) weirdo license connector:
which is effectively a GPL licensed piece. Asking ISVS to GPL all their
software (or pay money to Oracle not to) by linking effectively GPL
mysql stuff into our core seems rather non-optimal.

	That's why I'm so excited about the potential for Monty's library
(quite apart from the new feature possibilities & working better with
MariaDB). But of course, that'd also necessitate re-writing the mysqlc
connector to use his C API (this is perhaps the easiest approach vs.
waiting for / working on a new LGPL mysql C++ library alike).

	So your argument is great, as far as it goes ie. for our distribution;
but it potentially harms rather an important tactic for people writing
extensions :-)

	HTH,

		Michael.

-- 
michael.meeks at suse.com  <><, Pseudo Engineer, itinerant idiot