--- In ib-support@y..., "Pavel Cisar" <pcisar@i...> wrote:

> Hi Alexander,

> Do you mean that Yaffil team rewrote Firebird/InterBase from scratch

?

No. Yaffil team took Firebird sources very long time ago, I can't
remember when. Then developing was "parallel".

> So I would demand to know how sources are available. Well, they
>can sell binaries and provide sources only to those whom they sell
> sources. It's clear infringement of IPL.

I know, but, OpenSource games are good for developers, not
for business. I said this here and can repeat - OS project
without payment and management will die, or will develop
only in those directions where this OS project participants
are interested.
Ok, you know, developers are different. Some of them developing
RDBMS, but many of them developing applications that USES
this RDBMS. These kind of developers does not need any
sources, and moreover, they are interested in developing
RDBMS in their needed direction!
How they can be sure that OS dev. group will not drop
this project? Only paying for the result.
Here comes little groups, that takes OS sources and makes
special RDBMS version for their or concrete customer.
It is not interesting. The most interesting thing to
continue supplying same (or new) server to former
customers.

Now about sources and other things. Here, in Russia, software
piracy is widespread. That's why Yaffil team can't
open it's sources for local market. If it will be done,
anyone who even buys Yaffil can compile it and place it
for free (not for fee).

Interesting point that none of Yaffil beta-testers or users
complained that he has no Yaffil sources. They all satisfied
with it's features, and they don't care about sources.

Really IPL is a trap. Borland's trap. Firebird group
trying to avoid it rewriting sources to C++, isn't it?
You can say words "we don't violate IPL" but don't tell
me that FB Team rewrote sources to C++ only for using
exceptions and bla-bla-bla C++ features.

As I understand IPL, anyone who provide binaries made
with the Changed code must make these changes AVAILABLE
for user of these binaries. I understand that if
FB Team (or Borland) will buy Yaffil binaries, it can
demand sources. This doesn't horrible.

Returning to the sources - Yaffil can public (or provide)
only changes to the code used as a base.
I.e. since it's based on old C-code (and build) of FB
it can be hardly compiled, maybe it will be impossible.
Another way to be saved from IPL is to make all big
changes as "includes". Yes, Yaffil team tries to
be saved from IPL. I can't see any shame here.

And returning to the russian market. Firebird is popular
here. Yaffil team does not have an idea to force out
Firebird (or even Interbase). Yaffil team wants to
satisfy it's customers.
And I'm trying to establish collaboration between
Yaffil and FB team - there were many cases already,
and many will be. For example, Yaffil have some
additional codepages support, for ex-USSR regions
(languages). Firebird itself doesn't have interest
to support these languages. But, not all in Russia
will pay for Yaffil, and Yaffil now have binaries
only for Windows (but, have some russian unix codepages
supported).
Why not to include these codepages in FB, to make
Yaffil and FB more compatible? Any other collaboration
issues can be discussed freely.

> to Firebird team for all the work they get for free, and blaze about

how

> they are better than Firebird. Really, it starts to be too much.

Paul, there was not sold any copies of Yaffil yet. Your impression
is based on "someone said that...". Situation with yaffil is the
same as it was more than half-year ago.

---
KDV, www.ibase.ru