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MySQL Uses Microsoft's Open Source Software

Posted by timothy on from the interesting-territory dept.

EqualSlash writes "The Windows installer for the upcoming MySQL 4.1 release will be built using Microsoft's first ever open source project - Windows Installer XML toolset(Wix). According to an InternetNews report, they are using Wix to convert the MSI file designed using InstallShield into XML to achieve greater control over the installer. Of course, they are simply using it because it's Open Source (CPL license) and in good faith. Earlier this year, when Microsoft surprised everybody by releasing the Wix project under an open source license, some were cautious about using it, as the specific XML schema it uses might be patented just like the Office xml schema. Whatever.. Rob Mensching, Wix's lead developer, is very happy about MySQL choosing to use Wix for their installer."

5 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Great news by rnd() · · Score: 5, Insightful

    By opening up the source and making it possible for OSS developers to use a high quality installer, Microsoft has shown that it realizes the importance of Open Source software to its user base.

    --

    Amazing magic tricks

    1. Re:Great news by Osty · · Score: 5, Informative

      By opening up the source and making it possible for OSS developers to use a high quality installer, Microsoft has shown that it realizes the importance of Open Source software to its user base.

      WiX is not the installer. WiX is an XML schema and processor that let's you more easily build MSI installers. There's nothing stopping you from looking up the documentation on the Windows Installer at MSDN and building your own MSI programmatically, or building your own WiX-like processor, or whatever you want. The Windows Installer SDK is part of the Platform SDK, and I'm pretty sure that linking against base platform libraries is allowed even by the GPL (it's one of those things that's frowned upon, but allowed because otherwise you could only write GPL software to run on Linux or HURD).

      Also, Nullsoft's NSIS (I still think they should've carried on the PiMP/SuperPiMP naming, rather than getting all "professional") has been open source and available for years. It doesn't compile down to an MSI installer, but Nullsoft's own format, and the language and installer is pretty powerful. MSIs give you some pretty cool and powerful abilities that you can't do from NSIS, but 90% of all installers don't need much more than the ability to decompress some files, copy them around, and write some regkeys.

  2. Re:WiX problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've been trying to get my feet wet with this WiX stuff, but really the documentation is extremely lacking.

    it's open source, duh!

  3. Re:I'd rather they not use it by omicronish · · Score: 5, Informative

    but that's their call. Surely, there must be other alternatives than using something from M$. It's an installer - can't they use Nullsoft or something else?

    MSIs allow for easy installation of programs across entire Active Directory networks. Sure, you can do this with scripts and silent installs, but MSIs let you do interesting things like per-user installs that migrate to computers with their profiles. A good example of this is TortoiseSVN, which I can install only for myself on a computer on an AD network, and when I go to another lab computer and logon it'll automatically install and yet still be visible to only me.

    There's also a Firefox bug that's requesting an MSI installation option (but I forget the URL). IIRC someone built an MSI package using WiX, and several people have stated that an MSI package is imperative for corporate deployment of Firefox.

    So yeah, there are alternatives, but using MSIs do make things easier for some people, me included.

  4. Software packaging underrated by Schreckgestalt · · Score: 5, Informative
    I, as a guy working at a large company, dealing with software packaging and software distribution, welcome EVERY PROJECT using WiX.

    Apache already does release an MSI format package, maybe they, too, could convert to WiX.

    And then, there's only PHP left, that should come in an MSI file, and all would be fine.

    OSS programmers should realize how important the installation package is. Because with an intelligent enough package (MSIs for Win32, debs for Debian etc), it's no longer simply copying and possibly files, but real Software Management. This is going to open doors to the large companies.

    And yes, I know, MSI is a Microsoft idea, but it does make sense. Any large customer nowadays wants all the software to be re-packaged in MSI format (hell, repackaging Oracle Client sucks, you can believe me!).