[Pkg-db-devel] Bug#256332: clarification of doc licensing for db3/db4.2

[dann frazier]

debian-legal folks: please skim #256332 for history.

On Thu, Apr 06, 2006 at 11:13:30AM -0700, Mike Olson wrote:
> If you're going to rev the packages in any case, I'd strongly
> recommend simply moving to the 4.3 (or better, 4.4) release.
> We would expect no functional problems, you'd get all the latest
> fixes and the doc licensing issue would simply go away.

Mike,
  Thanks again for your speedy reply.

Though it maybe feasible to drop older db versions from the next
release (I do not know if such plans exist), I believe we would still
need to resolve this in an update to the current stable release
(sarge).

The sarge release includes db versions 3, 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3
concurrently.  Debian stable releases are very change adverse.
Updating all packages linked against the older db versions (~239
packages, by my rough count) wouldn't be acceptable in an update to
sarge - especially given that a lower risk alternative
(dropping the documentation) exists.  

However, dropping the documentation is clearly suboptimal for our users.

> If this is a huge hassle for you guys, I can work with Oracle
> legal to see if we can simply apply the current license terms
> to the earlier release docs.  This ought to be no problem -- if
> this were just Sleepycat I would do it without hesitation, but
> I'll need to brief counsel at Oracle on the issue and rationale
> to get this done.  That may take me some time, and I do want
> to be sensitive to your release issues and schedules.
> 
> Let me know how you prefer to proceed.

Thank you for your offer.  I think a relicensing would be the cleanest
approach.

Note that I am a Debian Developer, but I do not speak for the db
packaging, release, or legal teams.  I hope that they'll jump in if
they are in disagreement with any of the statements I've made here.

-- 
dann frazier