6 ms·
The amount of engineering rigor that has gone into sqlite over the years boggles the mind. It's a project that has been held up as a sterling example of success
by maxdeliso 13y ago
The amount of engineering rigor that has gone into sqlite over the years boggles the mind. It's a project that has been held up as a sterling example of successful software development many times, rightfully so. I especially like this part of their license, from the top of sqlite3.h
"The author disclaims copyright to this source code. In place of
a legal notice, here is a blessing:
May you do good and not evil.
May you find forgiveness for yourself and forgive others.
May you share freely, never taking more than you give."
- Goopplesoft 13y agoIt really is rock solid, heres an outline of their testing: http://www.sqlite.org/testing.html http://www.sqlite.org/testing.html
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- ricardobeat 13y agoUnfortunately the FSF holds the view that a clause like that makes software "non-free". See http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#JSON http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#JSON
- bch 13y agoSQLite doesn't _mandate_ "do no evil".
- berberous 13y agoInteresting, although the FSF example uses "shall", not "may". A lawyer might argue that only the prior is binding.
- Stratoscope 13y agoIt's a blessing, not an obligation or a demand or a condition of use. Unlike the JSON license clause "The Software shall be used for Good, not Evil", the SQLite blessing doesn't put any restriction on your "freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0)" or on any of the other freedoms listed by the FSF. It's no different from putting this in a library: # This work is dedicated to the public domain. # I hope you enjoy using it! No one could argue that if you didn't enjoy using the library (maybe the API is a confusing mess) you would somehow be in violation of the license. p.s. I upvoted your comment because I think you raised an interesting point!
- derleth 13y ago> It's a blessing, not an obligation or a demand or a condition of use. That's how we interpret it. The problem is that we don't know what the rights-holder has in mind, and what that entity's willing to sue over. Lawyers can be comically risk-averse. Comical, that is, until you see the kinds of things people actually sue over.
- dchest 13y agoDon't overthink it: https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html https://www.sqlite.org/copyright.html
- computer 13y agoSee this 3 minute presentation fragment about the "Do not use JSLint for Evil" license clause: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hCimLnIsDA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hCimLnIsDA
- aw3c2 13y agoIt's so idiotic. Who of those who do evil in my view, do agree that what they are doing is evil?
- comex 13y agoThe quote explicitly "disclaims copyright" and includes the blessing "in place of a legal notice". It would be truly absurd even for a lawyer to believe that the blessing constitutes a copyright license anyway.
- vsl 13y ago> That's how we interpret it. No. That follows from the fact that the author gives up copyright. No copyright -> no license terms.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- gibwell 13y agoThe FSF has a very narrow definition of freedom.
- ZoFreX 13y agoI wouldn't call this license free either. In many jurisdictions there is no concept of "public domain", in some you cannot even disclaim copyright at all. In those cases the work would be under copyright still, and in absence of a license permitting you to copy and change and distribute it, you can't (theoretically. no one's going to sue you).
- gibwell 13y agoI'm not calling this license free. I'm just pointing out that the FSF's definition of free is a very specific one of many.
- ricardobeat 13y agoThe copyright page mentions that they will provide a commercial license through their employer if requested.
- dscrd 13y agoFortunately we have the freedom to not care about what FSF thinks.
- baggers 13y agoFine, but the FSF doesn’t think that SQLite is non-free software http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/SQLite#tab=Overview http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/SQLite#tab=Overview
- lobster_johnson 13y agoIt was originally designed to run on guided missile destroyers in the US Navy. Not sure if it was ever used for that, but it explains the scrupulous attention to testing.
- ExpiredLink 13y ago> It was originally designed to run on guided missile destroyers in the US Navy. Wouldn't that be in contrast to the license?
- r0muald 13y agoThat would be in contrast to the blessing, not the license.
- brokenparser 13y agoIt wouldn't be in contrast to anything. Destroying a guided missile is probably an act of self defence, hence likely to be considered good by the author.
- runarb 13y agoNo. A "guided missile destroyer" is a type of ship that sends out guided missiles to hit targets, not the other way around. More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyer
- lobster_johnson 13y agoIt was not intended for the weapons system, which is a completely different beasts. There are many other things for a destroyer (which is a type of ship) to do. Good discussion here: http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1eyfk0/til_sqlite_was_created_to_be_used_on_guided/ http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/1eyfk0/til_sqli....
- tingletech 13y agoIf you are building a guided missle or the destroyer it launches from, you are doing so because you believe it to be good and not evil to have a strong military defense. And the best defense is a good offense or something like that, I don't really follow sports.