IBM Debuts Free Version of DB2 Express

Following the lead of its major competitors, IBM Monday announced it is offering a free version of its DB2 Express database targeted at developers operating at the low end of the market.

Called DB2 Express-C, the new version works with both Windows and Linux operating systems as well as on 32-bit and 64-bit single and dual-core processors from Intel and AMD.

IBM officials said the new version is aimed at supporting the growing community of DB2 developers and users by making it easier for them to create and deploy applications and solutions.

The product has the same core as the DB2 server product but in a smaller package and is well-suited for the redistribution and embedding within other applications. Company officials noted that a number of Linux distributors have already announced they will include DB2 Express-C in their versions of the open-source operating system.

"The partnership of IBM and Novell is focused on delivering Linux solutions to the market that help users meet their requirements for IT and network infrastructure workloads," said David Patrick, Novell's vice president and general manager of Linux, Open Source Platforms and Services Group.

In a related announcement, IBM said the upcoming Viper version of DB2 Express-C, will include the industry's first hybrid data server for managing both relational and XML data, something they believe is a crucial requirement building and deploying higher-performing Services Oriented Architectures (SOAs).

Last fall, Oracle debuted is Oracle 10g Express database for free, which was intended to compete against Microsoft's SQL Express Edition, as well as to stunt the growth of MySQL, an open-source database which is sold both as a commercial product and as for free.

Community support for DB2 Express-C is available through a new public Web forum on IBM's developerWorks site at www.ibm.com/developerworks/forums/dw\_forum.jsp?forum=805\&cat=19. Free Technical support is also available from IBM.