IBM Delivers Free Version of Database

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 or Intel processors, and utilizes up to 4GB of RAM. There is no limit as to the size a database.

Oracle's free XE edition, meanwhile, is limited to systems with a single processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of database storage space. The company says it is targeting students, small organizations and software developers looking to integrate a database into their applications.

Microsoft introduced SQL Server 2005 Express with the product's launch in November, which available as a free download and is designed specifically for testing with Visual Studio.

The release are a response to free, open source offerings like MySQL and PostgreSQL that have gained immense popularity among smaller companies and individuals without big pockets. MySQL is used by a number of major Web companies including Yahoo and Google.