Yes, if you don't distribute it, the license doesn't matter. That is more a flaw than the intention, but that is correct.
The point is that I can use SQLite, Tantivy, RocksDB, ... in my app no problem. I can make it open core, I can make it AGPL, BSD, MIT, not problem. Because those things are meant to be embedded. But I almost definitely can't use Xapian.
Let's be honest, if I want a search solution for use in my SaaS, I will grab Elasticsearch or an equivalent, I have no need for a library. It seems to me that the only use case where Xapian could really shine is crippled by their license. That is a shame.
The point is that I can use SQLite, Tantivy, RocksDB, ... in my app no problem. I can make it open core, I can make it AGPL, BSD, MIT, not problem. Because those things are meant to be embedded. But I almost definitely can't use Xapian.
Let's be honest, if I want a search solution for use in my SaaS, I will grab Elasticsearch or an equivalent, I have no need for a library. It seems to me that the only use case where Xapian could really shine is crippled by their license. That is a shame.