MySQL Thanks the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation

Dear Colleagues at FSF,

On behalf of MySQL AB, I would like to openly express my gratitude for the tireless efforts the Free Software Foundation puts forth to preserve, protect and promote free software. In particular, I'd like to thank the Free Software Foundation for diligently policing the use of the GNU General Public License (GPL), defending GPL developers against license breaches, and educating the world in the principles of free software.

MySQL AB has been built, from its inception, on the free software and open source philosophies. We passionately believe in software freedom. Today, MySQL AB is one of the largest companies in the world that releases all of its software under the GPL license. With the GPL as its foundation, MySQL has been able to build a successful business that, we hope, will demonstrate the strength of the GPL license and serve as a model for other vendors. We are extremely grateful that we have always been able to count the Free Software Foundation as our partner in fortifying and defending the GPL license.

Today, the acceptance and momentum of free / open source software has never been stronger. Organizations of all sizes, including major companies such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Red Hat, and Yahoo!, as well as government agencies from around the world, are realizing the benefits of free / open source software as a high-value alternative to proprietary offerings.

As this momentum continues to grow, we expect that the GPL license will be tested in increasingly more visible environments. Just like software code, the responsibility of promoting and defending free software ideals is shared by all who wish to participate. However, the Free Software Foundation has been, and will continue to be, at the apex of this movement. While we are now more confident than ever in the strength of the GPL, we see it as our responsibility to support the Free Software Foundation in any way possible as it leads this cause.

To this end, we are contributing a donation to the Free Software Foundation. Please accept it as a token of our appreciation for all that you have done for MySQL and for the free software movement.

Sincerely,

Mårten Mickos
CEO, MySQL AB