Free Oracle 10g Express Goes Up Against SQL

Oracle has made the beta for Windows and Linux freely available as a 150-Mbyte download to anyone who registers online.

Some VARs applauded the move. “This builds a larger base of support, starting at the low-end market then moving up through larger environments into which those applications get deployed,” said Ron Zapar, president of Re-Quest, a longtime Chicago-area Oracle partner. Scott Jenkins, CEO of The EBS Group, Lenexa, Kan., disagreed. “There is net no impact from this. Developers and ISVs have been able to do this for years. New doghouse, old dog,” he said. Still, the fact that it&'s an easier download may spark some interest, he said.

That could affect resellers trying to register lead opportunities among those who have downloaded the beta.

Robby Russell, owner of Planet Argon, Portland, Ore., said the offering competes directly against Microsoft&'s low-end SQL Server Express and MySQL, which comes in open-source and commercial flavors.

“Now that Oracle can control InnoDB, they seem to be targeting the MySQL market,” he said. “Since PostgreSQL isn&'t controlled by any single company, there is an appeal in the market to the flexibility that license brings.”

Oracle, like Microsoft with SQL Server Express, imposed several limits on the use of its new freebie: It can run only on single-CPU machines with up to 1 Gbyte of memory and up to 4 Gbytes of user data.

“Most developers I know have more memory in their laptops, and this would mean that they already are over the requirements,” Russell said. “I don&'t see what all the fuss is about.”

A spokeswoman for MySQL, Cupertino, Calif., said the company is not concerned. “Research from Evans Data shows that most users are looking for complete, full-featured database products like the new MySQL 5.0.”