Pervasive Software Extends Database Access To Linux Desktops
Pervasive's Remote Data Requester for Linux will enable desktops running Linux kernel version 2.4 or later to tap into back-end systems running Pervasive.SQL, the company said.
In an economy in which pennies are being pinched, that could add up to big savings, especially in vertical markets in which customers may not want or need Windows on every input device, industry observers said.
"This is a big deal. It will save my customers anywhere from $150 to $200 per machine, which otherwise had to run Windows. A Windows license is $250 retail," said Michael Doty, senior systems engineer at Bensenville, Ill.-based Flexible Solutions, an integrator and ISV specializing in point-of-sale (POS) systems.
A typical Flexible Solutions customer has 10 to 20 machines and could save $2,000 to $4,000, Doty said.
Fred Clausen, system administrator at Carrion, Santa Monica, Calif., concurred. His company, which owns and manages shopping centers, also likes the potential price savings. Carrion has already moved its back-end systems off of Windows NT 4 and Great Plains Dynamics to Pervasive.SQL and Samba. "Saving money is one thing, but the bigger issue is the better reliability [Carrion got with Linux]," he said.
Samba is an open-source file system interface that bridges Windows clients and Linux servers.
Down the road, a move off of Microsoft Office to OpenOffice could save even more money, Clausen said.
Pervasive.SQL V.8, the current release, supports a variety of server and client operating systems including Windows 2000, NT, ME, XP and 2003, as well as NetWare 4, 5.1, 6 or later and Linux, the company said. The database has its roots in the venerable Btrieve, once owned by Novell.
The new requester will be available Tuesday on Pervasive's Web site.