[PLUG] Oracle virtualbox extension pack license has changed

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

Users can still get the "free download" if they login to Oracle Software Delivery Cloud.

But, the article to me points out something extremely troubling.  Take a look at this text:

"..."Before the change, Oracle would email those who downloaded the VirtualBox Extension Pack and say, 'Thank you for downloading, this is a commercial license, and now we have to talk about your license fees.' And the user could just say, 'We downloaded only for evaluation, and we de-installed it a couple of months ago, and therefore we don't need to pay your fee.' And Oracle has to go away," he told The Register..."

Reading between the lines here he's basically saying "this is free software use it forever and lie to Oracle"

I think it's really bad to be calling this software "free evaluation pack" and "free 3 month eval" so on.  Free means free as in beer - you pay nothing in licensing.  EVER But the entire subtle messaging of the article is: just say your evaling it and use it permanently because it's "freeeeeeee"

This is a case of Oracle wrote (or bought) some software that people find useful that's tacked on to an open source bit of software - and people want it for nothing - so they are conflating the fact that virtualbox is free with virtual box extension pack.

Even the article does this the first paragraphs make it look like the licensing for Virtualbox itself went non-free when absolutely nothing has happened - the
Virtualbox licensing has remained the same - free, the Extension Pack licensing has remained the same - commercial. 

The only difference is Oracle is getting sick of a bunch of lazy freeloaders who are too lazy to use the (IMHO) superior alternative QEMU/KVM with Virt Manager and is preparing to kick some asses.  Good for them.  I do not doubt that Oracle planted a "Call Home To Mommy" in the Extension Pack and knows exactly who is using the "free download" as a permanently free thing not an eval.

I thought VirtualBox was incredible back in the days when it was virtualizing on 32 bit hardware.  But today, it uses the Intel VT-x commands in the CPU to do the actual heavy lifting for virtualization - that's why you have to turn them on in BIOS - which is exactly the same as KVM, Microsoft HyperV, VMWare ESXi and the rest of the pack of hypervisors.

If your hell-bent on using a commercial hypervisor "for free" forever and ever, then go back to ESXi as Broadcom recently changed their license again to allow for "free forever eval with no support"  Or download an "eval" ISO of Microsoft Windows Server and run HyperV on it and ignore the warnings that start popping up after 3 months to activate it.

Meanwhile the actual adults in the room will be using KVM with it's free wrappers or Proxmox Free or even Nutanix CE 

Ted

-----Original Message-----
From: PLUG <plug-bounces at lists.pdxlinux.org> On Behalf Of Tomas Kuchta
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2025 6:11 AM
To: Portland Linux/Unix Group <plug at lists.pdxlinux.org>
Subject: [PLUG] Oracle virtualbox extension pack license has changed

This came up in The Register today - the license for Oracle Virtual Box Extension Pack has changed to purely commercial from the past evaluation.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/30/licensing_change_oracle_virtualbox/

This means that users owe Oracle money by simply downloading the Extension Pack, similarly to their Java license.

It is hard to say whether they will come after individual downloaders, but if they do come, individual or corporate they will have to pay whatever amount Oracle asks for.

I personally, respect license terms, the future of OSS depends on that - So, my personal take is - if you do not want to pay for a product, don't take it.

Not that we do not have great alternatives in Linux - QEMU/KVM with Virt-Manager, Gnome Boxes, etc., etc.

- T