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IBM sets DB2 database free
Last modified: January 30, 2006, 6:19 AM PST

Staff Writer, CNET News.com

IBM on Monday introduced a free version of its DB2 database, a move designed to win software developers over to its products.

DB2 Express-C is the same database as IBM's commercial offerings but the company places limits on what kind of hardware it can run on.

IBM's decision to add a free database to its lineup follows moves by its largest rivals in the database business, Oracle and Microsoft.

With the release of SQL Server 2005 late last year, Microsoft introduced a free version. Simililarly, Oracle has a free product called Oracle 10g Express Edition.

The three corporate-database providers are all seeking to appeal to software developers, who help influence companies' technology decisions. In addition, open-source databases, which generally include a free edition, have risen in popularity in the past year.

Developer research firm Evans Data found that more than 70 percent of developers had installed and used an open-source database last year. Of the open-source databases, MySQL was by far the most popular among respondents, according to Evans Data.

IBM said that a future version of DB2 Express-C, code-named Viper, will include hybrid relational and XML database features. Viper is due for release this year.

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