Oracle Database 10g Express Edition - Free to develop, deploy, and distribute
Oracle released a beta of the Oracle Database 10g Express Edition (XE). The
software is available as a free software download and can be freely distributed
as an embedded database. A final version of the software is scheduled for
availability later this year.
It is essentially a scaled down version of the enterprise grade Oracle
Database 10g. The software however is available for Linux and Windows only,
limits storage capacity to databases 4Gb and won't use more than one gigabyte of
memory. Support also is limited to online forums which will be monitored by
Oracle support staff. Users with additional storage, memory or support needs are
required to upgrade to a commercial version.
It is a great starter database for:
Developers working on PHP, Java, .NET, and Open Source
applications
DBAs who need a free, starter database for
training and deployment
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and
hardware vendors who want a starter database to distribute free of
charge
Educational institutions and students who need a
free database for their curriculum
Download
Oracle Database 10g Express Edition Beta Release