Why Microsoft should reveal SQL Server code

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Precisely the reason...

...I responded to John last night.

John pointed out that one of the main terms of open source is that you cannot charge a royalty. One constant of all shared source items is that MS charges a royalty. Thus there is no equivalent to them at all.

This is the logical fallacy that I'm trying to avoid with word games over what the "absolute" definition of open source is. It's like saying the following two things are COMPLETELY distinct:

- Maslow Cars: We offer cars that are yellow, have thick rubber bumpers, and chrome trim.

- Jaslow Cars: We offer cars that are yellow, have thick rubber bumpers, chrome trim and are driven by a woman named Mary.

The two types of cars clearly bear strong similarities. Jaslow cars, has some extra stuff on it that is distinct from Maslow cars. Running round, though, and insisting that Jaslow cars are COMPLETELY different from Maslow cars because they don't require drivers be female and be named Mary is silly, though, because there ARE, IN FACT similarities.

So, I don't agree that there is no equivalent to them at all. There is, in LOTS of areas. You've just fixated on one difference, a difference I noted in the article, and say that means that we can't even talk about comparison because they either have to be COMPLETELY compatible or not at all. That's silly.

Regarding the BSD license, I said they were comparable, not exactly the same. BSD certainly has more flexibility than the Windows CE license. That does not mean, though, that there aren't similarities.

"open source" is a general term NOT owned by the OSI. They might have their own licensing rules on something they officially sanction as "Open Source," but then again, so does the group that licenses the right to call something UNIX. Would you say that Linux is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than Solaris, and thus, any comparison is a useless and ignorant endeavor? Clearly not, because Linux is obviously in the abstract "UNIX Domain" (hence, it's popularity with companies that use UNIX, of the officially sanctioned sort).

Posted by: John Carroll   Posted on: 03/01/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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