Purchase Zend still means nothing

Approx. translator: unnoticed on the purchase of Zend company
RogueWave. At least, did not find mention on habré, only one place in PHP-Digest. I represent to Your attention translation of the article Chris Tankersley about the event.

Indeed, the title seems a bit harsh. Today it was announced that RogueWave Software purchased Zend and can now dispose of all the LAMP stack, which is used by many enterprise users.

Zend is a PHP-based community. With its founders Andi Gutmans Zeev Suraski working on the Zend Engine(the thing that makes all of our PHP code into something useful). And set, including Zend Framework, Zend Server and Zend Studio.

If you look at RogueWave, it seems that Zend would be a good addition to RogueWave already offers. Like, everyone should be happy.

But let's not stop tierny analysis. And this article includes not only congratulations, but also predict possible future problems PHP. Here's what I think might happen.

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Zend in the conventional sense.

From what I know about corporate mergers, we have at least two or three years before we will feel any serious changes.

Now will be a regular smooth process, when a newly merged company is allowed to work as they worked for a few years until everyone will understand what was happening, especially when a friendly merger. Zend will remain the same for some time.

Then smooth a cushioning period we will begin to notice changes, I'm sure. Zend will gradually begin to have the same license policy, which is now RogueWave. Plans releases will begin to overlap, collaborate on projects more strictly controlled, etc.

I don't know whether this is good or bad. I am a little familiar with RogueWave personally, and it's not like Zend is going to stop.

I hope at least. I'm still waiting for the following ZendCons in Las Vegas.

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Will change the licensing of the Zend Engine

PHP and Zend Engine are now being distributed on PHP License.

There at the top there is a line, which is of concern:

Copyright 1999-2006 Zend Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.

Zend owns the copyright on the Zend Engine, and it gives them the opportunity to install the license. What is Zend Engine? This is what makes the PHP... PHP.

This is what turns written code into something that the server understands and makes our code work.
The only player who can compare with him is HHVM (although there are others, but HHMV is the only one that I saw in combat).

And, as an owner, Zend/RogueWave have every right to change the license to something more liberal, or Vice versa closed. It's their choice.

And if they decide to do it, they can't change it retroactively to previous releases. The PHP community can continue to use previous versions of the Zend Engine because they are distributed under the PHP License and to boycott the "new" Zend Engine. Life will show.

Actually, the precedent is already there. When Zend released phpng was talking about the fact that you do not use it. PHP can and will migrate c Zend Engine if required. We also can safely use the previous version of the Zend Engine, distributed under the old license.

In the worst case we switch to HHVM and we have to fix some bugs in it.

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Changing the license [Update 2015-10-06 2:05pm]

I pointed to the misunderstanding of how Zend can change the license.
This process is much more complicated than the one described above. But nevertheless, being the copyright of Zend Engine, Zend can change the license.

However, it will require some effort because in PHP every one who contributes to the development of the copyrights to their own code.

In the end, everyone has to agree to the license change.
Joomla went through a similar procedure when he tried to change the license of the Joomla Framework to LGPL. It is required to find everyone who had contributed under the old license and collect their signatures for a new license. It was a huge job but they did it.

Now, Zend has a right to the Zend Engine and may try to change the license if all agree. I don't think it will happen. I bet we will be able to change the engine much sooner than it will happen.

As a worst-case scenario I don't rule out the emergence of a new engine from RogueWave, which will be compatible with the Zend Engine(or what we will use in the future). Even more compatible than it is now HHVM. HHVM already proved that there is a demand for improved PHP, compatible with Zend Engine and, at the same time, with some nice additions.

This will allow RogueWave to offer "enterprise PHP" their customers about how Oracle offers its own version of Redhat.

If that happens, I hope RogueWave call it "Rogue". RogueWave can use this name with my written consent.

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Zend Framework dies

No, he will not die. Zend Framework, not only the entry point into a comprehensive line of products Zend, but also still project open source.

Anyone can forknode and work on it. Zend Framework is also a major player in the field of PHP frameworks, with a lively community and huge user base.

Assuming that the main contribution to the development of the Zend Framework make Zend employees, but its license is quite loyal, I'm sure the community will continue to work on it. Even if RogueWave wouldn't want to support it.

At the same time? it seems that the RogueWave heavily invested in the Open Source Zend Framework will perfectly suit their clients. I doubt that the future of Zend Framework is that any threat.

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Then congratulate RogueWave and Zend

At the same time, I want to congratulate the Zend and RogueWave with their Association. They're perfect for each other and this means that would be better suited for enterprise.

Maybe in a few years I'll take my words back, but I'm sure now my friends in Zend will be happy to move forward.

Article based on information from habrahabr.ru