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freetds - Re: OpenLink distributing FreeTDS-based software

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Subject: FreeTDS Development Group

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  • From: Steve Langasek <vorlon AT netexpress.net>
  • To: TDS Development Group <freetds AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: OpenLink distributing FreeTDS-based software
  • Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 13:37:35 -0600

On Wed, Jan 16, 2002 at 08:07:13PM +0100, Pim Zandbergen wrote:

> Has anyone noticed that OpenLink are distributing a FreeTDS database
> agent in their multitier ODBC suite?

> This FreeTDS database agent sits in between an OpenLink ODBC client
> and an MS SQL Server. Connecting to the database agent goes through
> their (licensed) broker.

> Funny to see a piece of free software connecting two licensed products
> togeher ...

> I suppose FreeTDS is GPL'd ? Could we ask OpenLink for the source of
> their database agent?

You are certain that they're using the FreeTDS codebase for this? There
are other libraries that implement TDS, some of them using the same APIs
that FreeTDS provides.

FreeTDS is released under the LGPL. This is similar to the GPL, with
the exception that they don't need to release the source code to
anything that talks to FreeTDS through published library interfaces.
There are certain requirements spelled out in section 6 of the LGPL that
would apply, and if they've made any modifications to the FreeTDS
libraries, they must make those modifications available freely. Exactly
what their obligations are depend on how they're using FreeTDS in their
application; but the most straightforward requirement is that if
they're using FreeTDS in their database agent, you should be able to
find a copy of the LGPL license and a copyright statement among the
files that they're distributing.

Cheers,
Steve Langasek
postmodern programmer

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