Linux Fever Spreads Across Major Databases
- 08 March, 1999 12:01
As the flood of vendors announcing Linux support at this week's LinuxWorld continues, Oracle Corp., Sybase Inc. and Informix Corp. have, as expected, all laid out plans to extend support of the Linux platform on the database level.
Just days after shipping the long-awaited Oracle8i database, Oracle announced that it plans to ship a Linux version of its Internet database within 60 days. Oracle has already opened Internet developer registration for Oracle8i on Linux via the Oracle Technology Network, and is considering a deal that would provide support for its database through Linuxcare, officials said.
Other database-related Oracle offerings being displayed at LinuxWorld include:
* Oracle8i InterMedia, a database-driven "Dynamic Web Design" environment that enables Oracle8i to manage multimedia content for both Internet and traditional applications;* Oracle Developer and Oracle Developer Server on Linux for building and deploying enterprise-class Internet database applications; and* Oracle WebDB on Linux, a wizard-based development environment for building, deploying, and managing HTML Web database applications and content-driven Web sites.
Oracle officials believe the availability of such products will help accelerate the development of Internet-based computing solutions on the Linux platform.
In a move similar to Oracle's 8i announcement, Sybase has announced plans to make a fully supported version of its Adapative Server Enterprise available on the Linux platform by the second quarter of 1999.
Additionally, Sybase will offer a Linux version of its SQL Anywhere Studio, a mobile and embedded database solution. Both solutions are aimed at providing users a fully supported Linux solution for enterprise applications.
Informix, which already supports Linux with its Dynamic Server, Linux Edition Suite, has announced free development licenses of its Informix-4GL and Informix-SQL application development tools. This limited-time offer, available from March 1 to June 30, will enable developers to quickly port thousands of existing Informix-4GL and Informix-SQL applications to the Linux platform, officials said. More importantly, developers will be able to create new database applications for the Linux market, they added.
Informix this week also announced two separate channel agreements designed to make Informix's line of Linux software more readily available. The first is an alliance with HP that will see Informix's Dynamic Server, Linux Edition Suite offered through HP's Covision Internet solutions program. The second is a distribution agreement with national systems integrator and value-added distributor Jones Business Systems.
Oracle Corp., in Redwood Shores, California, is at http://www.oracle.com/. Sybase Inc., in Emeryville, California, is at http://www.sybase.com/. Informix Corp., in Menlo Park, California, is at http://www.informix.com/.