Q:
I would like to ask Mr. David Axmark, what is the approximate proportion of users who purchase MySQL databases around the world? The second question is for two people to talk about the industry's attitude toward digital copyright after the third version of the GPL comes out. Will SQL support it?
David Axmark:
I really don’t know what the ratio is, I estimate it is 1000:1. The reason I don't know is that I don't value how many business users there are. GPL3 is more concise and more international. GPL3 has obtained a lot of legal protection in terms of databases, but the specific details of digital copyright are still controversial. There are indeed some disputes about digital copyright. The main dispute is how much is allowed to be used for free? I think this dispute can be resolved soon.
Question:
I would like to ask about the license agreement. The latest version of the commercial version, MySQL 5.0, which is under development, what kind of agreement does the new version of MySQL adopt when charging? What kind of plans are there?
David Axmark:
Various versions of MySQL have been available from 2001 to now, 5.0 has been announced, and now 5.1 is released.
Q:
Red Hat has proposed a service method, which is service as software. I would like to know what MySQL’s views are on the service model? Do you agree with this statement or do you have your own other service model? The establishment of our R&D center today is undoubtedly great news for Chinese MySQL users. When we enter China, do we have any service plans for Chinese users, communities and Chinese MySQL enterprise users?
David Axmark:
I completely agree with Red Hat’s concept. In China, we are the same as MySQL users around the world and can enjoy subscriptions and services. MySQL is open source. The difference is that individual users have to download and maintain it from the community, while enterprise users have to purchase the commercial version to get certain services.
Q:
How is the compatibility of MySQL database with the current mainstream databases? The question I'm concerned about is that most of our company's applications are developed on other mainstream data. Can there be a smooth transition? Second question, is MySQL currently using its own development tools or third-party development tools? Is there a Chinese version?
David Axmark:
Migration mainly depends on the user's application. In many cases, some migrations are very easy, and some migrations are very difficult. The key depends on your application. Nowadays, large databases are very full-featured, but it depends on performance, reliability and ease of use. We have our own development tools, and we also support third-party development tools combined with MySQL. The third-party development tools may be Chinese-language.