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From: "Michael J. Segel" <msegel@segel.com>
To: "Derby Discussion" <derby-user@db.apache.org>
Subject: Re: FW: [Fwd: Re: Are you happy with Derby?]
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:50:23 -0500
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On Thursday 27 October 2005 00:00, David W. Van Couvering wrote:
> Michael J. Segel wrote:
> > On Wednesday 26 October 2005 17:44, Daniel John Debrunner wrote:
> >>Raji Sridar wrote:
> >>>Hi Michael,
> >>>
> >>>Your opinion was very encouraging - I also built a prototype based on
> >>>Derby. I am happy to say, that our management has almost decided on
> >>>Derby, subject to legal approval for the licensing aspects.
> >
> > Yeah thats the kicker.
> > I'm not a lawyer, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
> >
> > If you use Derby embedded in your app, you have to also ship a copy of
> > the derby source code with your app.  Note: If your app is actually a
> > modification to Derby, then you have to publish the source code of your
> > app. And this is where it gets tricky.
>
> Huh?  It sounds like you are talking about Gnu Public License, not
> Apache 2.0 license.  I'm not a lawyer either, and you do need to check
> the license, but as I understand it, you are free to redistribute
> binaries as you see fit, and source code of neither Derby nor your
> application need to be provided.  You can also take Derby and modify it
> as your needs fit and are free to either put these changes back into
> Apache Derby or not.
>
> David

Errr yeah, probably. I was typing this as I was watching the SOX rule!

Yeah,
I went back and read Apache 2.0.
Very interesting reading.
And no, its not compatible with GPL. (Again talk to a lawyer. ;-)

Essentially you are correct. All you need to include is the notice that you 
used Apache code  in your product and follow the instructions and you're free 
to do with it what you want.

This would also explain why I see so many folks from IBM and SUN here. ;-)
(TANSTAAFL still applies. Hopefully McNeally, and Mills remember this.... )

So essentially, anything is fair game. The only draw back is that if you 
wanted to do some cool work, any corporation could just take your IP and 
apply it in their own products.

For example, if one were to create a really cool method for optimizing query 
performance and adds it to Derby, IBM or Oracle could take that and use it in 
their other products.  The only way to protect against that would be to 
create your own distribution tree and as each new version of Derby that comes 
out, you would have to merge it against your tree.

Bottom line. Its best to use Derby, as it, and if you wanted to extend Derby, 
write your own Java Database. ;-)

Interesting....

-- 
Michael Segel
Principal
MSCC
(312) 952-8175