Quoting Wikipedia:
MariaDB It is a GPL licensed MySQL derived database server. It is supported by Michael "Monty" Widenius (founder of MySQL) and the community of free software developers. It has an engine called XtraDB, replacing InnoDB. It has a high compatibility with MySQL since it has the same commands, interfaces, APIs and libraries, its objective being to be able to change one server for another directly
Well, in an article published in the The Document Foundation Blog, expose the level of admiration you feel Monty by LibreOffice, where it expresses more or less the following:
«We are very excited about the project LibreOffice… To do our part with the project we are committed to integrating and providing excellent support for MariaDB in LibreOffice. This includes, among other things, a new LGPL C drivers to connect to MariaDB o MySQL and provide bug fixes for any issues in MariaDB that seriously affect LibreOffice«
You can see more in this link. Without a doubt, great news for the world OpenSource y The Office Suite. Improvement LibreOffice Base with this bracket?
With the arrival of Oracle and its separation from them, it does not seem strange to me.
MySQL is also from Oracle and continues to be modified in its community version, some extensions that were previously common have been deleted and I think that is another factor.
As I had understood they used HSQLDB for databases, because it is written entirely in java. The same and they only need to modify the MySQL jdbc driver.
Excellent 😀
So if the Oracle geniuses (current owners of MySQL) think of doing the same thing they did with Open Office, the alternative will already be implemented.
The problem is, what would happen if Oracle finds a legal gap that allows it to patent the MySQL API? Some time ago it was said that Oracle is seeking to follow this strategy to curb competition:
http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/08/oracle-defends-copyrightability-of-apis.html
For the API to be understood, it would be the name of the functions, variables, classes, etc., something totally absurd but coming from Oracle ...
In that case Monty would be obliged to redesign the MariaDB API to avoid legal problems, but it would also cease to be compatible with MySQL.
Does Monty have no power over his creation?
mmm ... I'm not sure, I would have to look for more info, but I think it gave all the rights to Sun Microsystems which in turn was bought by Oracle, therefore Oracle is the one who has all the rights to MySQL.
Still, while MariaDB's source code would still be free, it would be governed by patents, which would actually make it proprietary software.
Sure, as long as Oracle manages to patent portions of the source code as explained before. If you can't, then there would be no legal problem with MariaDB.
Uhm and what about the license? Or they forget that it has a GNU GPL license and that they are screwed because according to the GNU GPL license:
The GNU General Public License or better known by its name in English GNU General Public License or simply its acronym from the English GNU GPL, is a license created by the Free Software Foundation in 1989 (the first version), and is mainly oriented to protect the free distribution, modification and use of software. Its purpose is to declare that the software covered by this license is free software and to protect it from appropriation attempts that restrict those freedoms to users.
I mean, let me explain if Oracle wanted to patent some software with the GNU GPL license. The Free Software Foundation could sue it for violating the license.
Oracle being the owner of the code and the rights to MySQL can do whatever it wants with it, even change the license and close the code and not even the FSF can do anything to them because the authors are absolute owners of their programs.
This is so as long as MySQL does not depend on any other GPL or copyleft licensed software.
You can change the license of future versions, but what is already free can be forks and continue with the GNU GPL license. And fucking that they patent the code, and I think they also patent the databases. Although you see everything.
Another thing is that even if they managed to patent MySQL, I don't think Oracle wants to be the bad guy in the movie, (worse than it has been so far with Open Office).
Exactly, Oracle can change the MySQL license but that does not affect previous versions, the only thing that could affect previous versions are patents.
The issue of patents, whether for software or whatever it is, is quite complicated and always leads to a technological delay.