IBM is set to deliver a free version of its enterprise DB2 database software on Monday, following in the footsteps of competitors Oracle and Microsoft as they fend off the adoption of open source offerings MySQL and PostgreSQL. IBM DB2 Express-C only limits the hardware that the database can run on, but is otherwise identical to the full-fledged DB2 release. The software can be installed on machines with up to two AMD/Intel processors, and utilizes up to 4GB RAM. There is no limit to the size a database.
The database, while “limited”, isn’t THAT limited, particularly compared to Oracle. The 4GB disk limit for Oracle is, I think, rather crippling.
Limiting DB2 to just smaller servers without the disk limitation makes it a spectacular candidate for departmental and small-mid size back office databases.
And it should run fine on Windows, where it will be a solid competitor to SQL Server.
Now, if they’d only get a Solaris port going.
If they got a Solaris port they’d be even farther ahead of Oracle which only has Linux and Windows versions of Oracle XE.
With competition like this, maybe Oracle will loosen up its restrictions. Unlimited disk space would give Oracle XE a LOT more potential. Of course, maybe that’s what Oracle is afraid of. After all, they want users to start paying eventually.
I know that these are Windows versions, but I know that Oracle makes a linux version – what are the posibilities of a Mac version coming out? In years past Apple had no “big boy” server solution, but now with the Xserves (hopefully they will be moving to intel SOON), it is quite conceivable that people will start using OS X server with Xserves more and more
Why do you need a Mac Version?
Have you checked out Postgres lately?
It’s a very easy install, the SQL code is very close to ORacle and DB2, with full ACID compliance,
and it’s SMP aware, and FREE.
Apple should use this as the backend for FileMaker!
Is this version enough to use Lotus Notes with it or does one still have to buy DB2 CommonStore?
And second question would be if first one is answered “No, you still have to buy…”. Does buying CommonStore mean you have to buy DB2 too?
Users (meaning: enterprises) will pay regardless of the availability of a free version. Even if it had no restrictions at all.
If you build a system around this DB and then IBM stops offering DB2 for free, you are going to have to pay up or never upgrade.
Just something to think about…
Why would they do that? The same thing can be said for the free versions of Oracle and SQL Server.
If their goal of doing this is to respond to MS/Oracle’s free databases, then they’ll probably only pull the plug when Oracle and MS do so.
i wish they’d do free clients for the full version of db2.
i’m currently trying to figure out how to connect to an aix db2 server from a solaris client using perl, but we don’t have the client libraries for solaris!
would the client that comes for free (on athlon64 linux) be able to connect to the commercial server on aix?
The words free version makes me say, “whoa”, sounds like a limited time offer. Oracle released a free linux version and now it’s nowhere in sight.