Adobe funds SQLite database

Adobe Systems said Monday it's helping to sponsor the SQLite database project, software that figures prominently in at least two of the company's high-profile new projects.

Adobe open-source honcho Dave McAllister said in a blog posting Sunday that Adobe had joined Mozilla and Symbian in joining the SQLite Consortium.

"By supporting the work of the SQLite consortium, Adobe is supporting the continued growth and improvements in SQLite," McAllister said. "Adobe's support of the SQLite Consortium demonstrates Adobe's commitment to open source, and belief that technologies such as SQLite should remain independent and free in the best interests of the community."

Adobe also fired up a new open-source Web site on Sunday.

Adobe now has launched its AIR software, which uses SQLite.

SQLite is used within the company's newly released Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) software, an operating system-independent foundation layer for Internet applications. Adobe also has said it uses SQLite to power the image database of its raw-photo editing and cataloging software, Photoshop Lightroom.

SQLite Consortium members get a variety of support perks, according to the site, including "the guaranteed, undivided attention of the SQLite developers for 23 staff days per year and for as much additional time above and beyond that amount that the core developers have available."

Adobe Lightroom uses SQLite for cataloging photos.

It should be noted that SQLite isn't open-source software, strictly speaking. Though SQLite's underlying source code is freely available as part of the public domain, that doesn't meet the technical requirements of the Open Source Definition.

However, some of the principles of the movement apply. Outsiders may contribute their own software to the project, for example, though as with many open-source projects, they must explicitly relinquish copyright and turn over rights to their software to the public domain.

Mozilla and Symbian were charter members of the SQLite Consortium, which was launched in December 2007.

[lmasanti]

Where it comes from?

quote:<br />"the guaranteed, undivided attention of the SQLite developers <br />for 23 staff days per year and for as much additional time <br />above and beyond that amount that the core developers have <br />available."<br /><br />Just wandering how they calculate the "23 days"!<br />There are 5 days times 52 weeks in a year: 260 days.<br />Dividing 260 by 23 gives 11.4<br />Maybe there are "11 members",,,<br />If a new company joins... Will it receive the sama amount?

[Shankland]

The work doesn't have to be divided equally

Here's my guess. The more companies sponsor the work, the more time the developers can afford to devote to the SQLite project. I can't imagine that there's anything stopping work from being shared unequally among SQLite members, too; if I were a company needing support, I'd rather have steady contact with one or two coders for support or patches than to cycle among various different programmers.

[espi3d]

You can publish it under any license

Hi, I think that given SQLite is not enforcing copyrights for the code anyone can distribute with any license. I mean I can copy all source code to a "SQLite2" project and release it under the GPL.<br />am I right?