Forever confusing software Licensing problem :(

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kwan
  • Start date Start date
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Kwan

Hi All,

I am developing a tool which require to query and store some
information into a database. It will only be used exclusively by my
own application, and doesn't require any UI.

My ultimate choice will be MySQL. But MySQL require my software to be
OpenSource, or else I will have to pay for a license.

So, I am thinking to use Access. Unfortunately after reading the EULA
from microsoft, I still can't tell if I am free to distribute the DLL
with my application.

Can somebody please advise?

I only have VC++ 6.0 pro (and prehaps ent.) version.

Thanks in advance.
 
You can freely distribute any mdb you create without additional licensing.
However, to be able to open the mdb (or mde) the user must have a fully
licensed version of Access. If you have the developers edition of Office,
you can also distribute a runtime version of Access.
 
In addition to Sandra's comments, there are other programs that can access
Jet databases. Visual C and Visual Basic can both use mdb files for data
storage and retrieval, but won't use the Access forms and reports (they have
to create their own). Windows XP and, I believe, Windows 2000 come with the
Jet 4 (Access 2000 or newer) files installed with the OS.

You didn't elaborate on which DLL you want to distribute. I believe that
Visual C and VB both come with the Jet files and can incorporate them in
their distribution packages, just as they can the files for the custom
controls.
 
As others have pointed out, you can freely use, and distribute the mdb file
format.

Your software written in VB, c++ or whatever can then read/write this data.

In addition to the above, you also have the free developers edition of sql
server, and can include that with your applications also.

I do think the developers edition of sql server, or the so called desktop
data engine (MSDE) does require you have the Enterprise edition of visual
studio to do this. However, it is royalty free.

So, yes..you can use either the free desktop sql server edition, or use the
mdb (ms-access) along with the JET database engine.

For VB, and c++, the above both are royalty free.

In fact, if you write applications in ms-access, you can also get the
developers edition of ms-access, and even distribute ms-access applications
as a standard windows install, and again this is royalty free.

However, in your case, you are just using the JET database engine, and
writing the UI in visual c. So, in your case, you don't need ms-access at
all, but ONLY the JET engine. Those JET libraries are included in visual
studio..so you don't even need the developers edition of ms-access UNLESS
you plan to use ms-access features like forms, or reports. But, just the
data engine as you are doing does not require anything extra then what
visual studio offers.
 
Wayne Morgan said:
In addition to Sandra's comments, there are other programs that can access
Jet databases. Visual C and Visual Basic can both use mdb files for data
storage and retrieval, but won't use the Access forms and reports (they have
to create their own). Windows XP and, I believe, Windows 2000 come with the
Jet 4 (Access 2000 or newer) files installed with the OS.

You didn't elaborate on which DLL you want to distribute. I believe that
Visual C and VB both come with the Jet files and can incorporate them in
their distribution packages, just as they can the files for the custom
controls.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. It is certainly very helpful.

I am still inclined to use MySQL. However, the GPL seems very tricky.

Is that mean if my application is using MySQL, I must give away my
source-code upon request? Unless I am paying for license fee?

Then how about all my applications that developped linux? They all
have to be open source as well? That will immediate make linux no
value of existance.
 
Then how about all my applications that developped linux? They all
have to be open source as well? That will immediate make linux no
value of existance
Click to expand...

I'm sure it would make the folks at Microsoft happy to here you say that.
:-) As far as the license questions on MySQL and Linux though, I haven't
read those licenses, so I can't comment on them.
 
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