Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

TOra Project Looking for New Maintainer

Posted by michael on from the if-you-build-it-they-will-come dept.

cerberusss writes "TOra is a GPL'ed, QT-based Oracle/PostgreSQL client, one of the most full-featured for many years. The lead developer Henrik Johnson was hired by Quest Software to work further on TOra. After some time of inactivity, Henrik has put a request on the developer list, saying: 'I'm sorry for not being able to spend that much time on TOra as I should. I am now working full time on future versions of TOAD by Quest. (...) I am wondering if someone on this mailing list is willing to step up as a new maintainer of this project.' Also interesting is that the GPL'ed code base compiles for both Windows and Linux, but compiling for Windows is not allowed anymore because of the license of Trolltech's QT."

13 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Trolltech by vanza · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The problem is that this would not work, according to Trolltech.

    --
    Marcelo Vanzin
  2. Re:or you could use... by ZeroLogic · · Score: 2, Informative

    pgAdmin doesn't work with Oracle, so no, you can't switch to pgAdmin.

  3. Trolltech the reason? by Yokaze · · Score: 4, Interesting
    According to Mr. Johnson

    The reason for it not being compilable for Windows is the fact that Qt is not available for Windows in any GPL compatible version and the license of the GPL:d TOra specifically prohibits it from being linked with the commercial versions of Qt. The reason for this is that previously I and now Quest does not want it to interfere with out commercial products.


    So, it seems to me more an issue with TOras license, than Trolltechs. For example, I fail to see how it should be incompatible with the GPL to link a product with a commercial library, when you don't distribute it.
    --
    "Between strong and weak, between rich and poor [...], it is freedom which oppresses and the law which sets free"
    1. Re:Trolltech the reason? by Keith+Russell · · Score: 2, Insightful

      TOra's license is GPL, straight, no chaser. The GPL specifically prohibits linking with non-Free 3rd party libraries, like the commercial versions of Qt. Such 3rd party libraries are a vendor lock-in trap.

      --
      This sig intentionally left blank.
  4. TOra is (was) better than Oracle's Native Console by HighOrbit · · Score: 4, Informative

    I *really* hope a new maintainer can be found, because TOra is my favorite Oracle admin tool set. I don't even use any of Oracle's management console or DBA studio (except for netca) if I have TOra available. My favorite things about TOra are:

    1)the UI layout of the schema browser. It has tabs that let you see everything about a schema (and its objects and the data) in one easy place.

    2) The extraction utility lets you get a single comprehensive sql script to re-create a database schema and load all the data in one easy step. Absolutely beautiful.

    If you are an Oracle DBA or developer, I strongly recommend that you download TOra and give it a spin. I don't think you will ever go back to Oracle Console.

    Please, somebody with the right skill-set, please pick this up and mantain it.

  5. Can't port to windows? by mikefe · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is exactly why QT should not be used in an OSS project. If you want to get real penetration into the desktop today, you have to work on windows. Mozilla knows this, Open Office knows this.

    It's really that simple.

    --
    There: Something at a specific location.
    Their: Owned by someone.
    Please make sure your english compiles.
    1. Re:Can't port to windows? by tricaric · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Quoting from the mailing list on SF: The reason for it not being compilable for Windows is the fact that Qt is not available for Windows in any GPL compatible version and the license of the GPL:d TOra specifically prohibits it from being linked with the commercial versions of Qt. The reason for this is that previously I and now Quest does not want it to interfere with out commercial products.
      This is the author's decision, not a limit imposed by the Qt's license. Qt can very well be used in OSS projects, and it is possible to release windows ports just by allowing it in the license (small extension of GPL) and by finding someone with a Commercial Qt license that is willing to compile and release it. There are many examples of this. Back to your msg, it's _NOT_ really that simple: Qt offers many features that are difficult to find in other libs, and using Qt it is really simple to port from Linux to Win.

  6. Troll by CaptainPinko · · Score: 2, Informative

    Qt is GPL and thus free enough for RMS and that is free enough for anyone (excepting *BSD people).

    --
    Your CPU is not doing anything else, at least do something.
  7. Quest Blows by Unoti · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Quest sucks. They've been doing everything they can to block competition in their market. After buying up their competitors, at least SQLNavigator, now they buy the leading open source maintainer. Did you notice the price for Toad skyrocket a short time after they bought SQLNavigator?

    And what have their customers gotten in return? Higher prices (a lot higher) and software bloat.

    Have you ever tried to buy a copy of TOAD? The pricing is massive-- it's way more expensive than a copy of Microsoft Office, and does a lot less. They're one of the few software companies that bug me as much as RealNetworks.

  8. Wrong: Quest, not Trolltech, the Reason by kupci · · Score: 2, Insightful
    TOra's license is GPL, straight, no chaser.Not quite. If you read the threads on SourceForge, it is an additional clause Henrik and Quest have added, expressing their interpretation of the GPL, that is causing the difficulties, not the Trolltech license.

    The GPL specifically prohibits linking with non-Free 3rd party libraries, like the commercial versions of Qt.

    Right. So Henrik simply bought a copy of Qt to compile the binaries. According to Henrik, for the distribution, the GPL allows you to exclude libraries, which he did for the Oracle libraries, but chose not to for the Qt libraries. And he has added wording to this effect to the boilerplate to clarify this.

    It seems, from reading the threads, that Quest is not keen on the idea of a Windows version of TOra. And from what other posters on this /. list have commented about Quest, I can see why.

    * Specifically you are not permitted to link this program with the
    * Qt/UNIX, Qt/Windows or Qt Non Commercial products of TrollTech.
    * And you are not permitted to distribute binaries compiled against
    * these libraries without written consent from Quest Software, Inc.
    http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/message.php?m sg_id=9969216
  9. Re:TOra is (was) better than Oracle's Native Conso by AndyElf · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I dunno, but in my experience both TOAD and PL/SQL Developer offer much better Oracle development/administration environment (and the latter does not cost you an arm and a leg of the former).

    As far as TOra'a PostgreSQL support -- that was, agian IMHO, was always lagging far behind PgAdmin or plain psql...

    --

    --AP
  10. Re:Call the DoJ... by dccase · · Score: 2, Informative

    TOAD was free until Quest bought it.
    There is still a free version, but it is very out-of -date.

  11. GPL Qt for Windows by khanyisa · · Score: 2, Interesting

    But the folks at kde-cygwin.sourceforge.net are producing a GPL version for windows ... by porting the X11 version and filling out the missing parts. They seem to be making good progress. I wonder what response Trolltech will give...