Why is mcrypt not included in most Linux distributions?

Posted by Daniel Lopez on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by Daniel Lopez
Published on 2011-03-15T12:43:02Z Indexed on 2011/03/15 16:12 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 324

Filed under:

linux

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ssl

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redhat

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SLES

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mcrypt

libmcrypt is a powerful encryption library that is very popular with PHP-based applications. However, most Linux distributions do not include it. This causes problems for many users that need to download and compile it separately.

I am guessing that the reason it is not shipped is related to encryption or patent issues. However, the source code for library itself is hosted and available on sourceforge.net

I have been searching unsuccessfully for a document of authoritative post that explains the exact issues why this extension is not bundled with mainstream distributions. Can anyone provide a pointer to such material or provide an explanation?

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