The SkySQL® Cloud Data Suite Agreement is, like any set of terms and conditions, written in legalese. But what does it really say, in broad strokes?   While the legalese terms and conditions constitute the valid agreement, I think it's a good idea to condense some key thoughts into plain English. So here goes:

1. We give you the right to remotely access our SkySQL Cloud Data Suite and use it to configure and download the MariaDB database for your use on your own Amazon AWS account.
2. We provide you with a 30-day trial license to use MONyog.
3. Although you need to have your own AWS account, we don’t need access to any of your data.
4. If you ask for the SkySQL Cloud Data Suite to automatically download your configured MariaDB dbms, we won’t store your AWS credentials.
5. Downloaded software is made …

While catching up on some interesting chat on IRC today, I decided to watch the Alan Cox video series that Red Hat Magazine recently placed online.

In Alan Cox and the state of free software:

• Alan speaks about software patents, as a problem for free software. Lots are starting to understand that they don’t work and they violate international treaties.
• Alan talks about political systems - so you can’t get free software into government or schools, because of certain vendors that they choose. Approved suppliers cause grief, when they only supply proprietary software.
• Alan talks about the OpenDocument Format and OOXML mess, and it confuses people, who want standards (FUD).
• A challenge now, seems to be that there are a large number of free software users now, who are not …