Phil Eaton • 6/11/2026

Of forks and clones and package management

This article examines the complexities of open-source software distribution in Linux ecosystems, highlighting how licensing changes and forks impact package management. It details MongoDB's switch from AGPL to SSPL, leading to removal from major distros; MySQL's replacement by MariaDB in Fedora and Debian; and Redis's license change to SSPL, prompting the Valkey fork adopted by Fedora. The piece emphasizes that users can still install software via official repositories, illustrating the dynamic between distro policies and upstream projects.

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#open source #package management #mongodb