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Beta Begins for Free Version of Oracle 10g

Oracle says it has begun beta testing a free, although limited, version of its 10g database designed for developers and students.

Dubbed the Oracle Database 10g Express Edition (Oracle Database XE), the package provides application developers, database administrators and students with a “starter” that they can use to develop and deploy applications. Under terms of the offering, independent software and hardware vendors are allowed to distribute or embed the database with their applications and products.

Oracle Database XE is built on 10g Release 2 and is compatible with the rest of the Redwood Shores, Calif. company’s mainstream database editions, enabling users an upgrade path that lets them move their applications to other editions without making changes.

The package supports the same SQL and PL/SQL interfaces used by other versions of 10g. It also supports development and deployment using Java, .NET, and PHP. Additionally, Oracle Database XE supports Oracle HTML DB for rapid Web application development and deployment.

Oracle Database will run on one single-core CPU or on a single dual-core processor, and supports memory up to 1 GB. It is limited to a single instance per system and can store up to 4 GB of data. The package is available for 32-bit Linux and Windows.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.