Sybase releases free Express database for=
Linux

It hopes to expand the customer base for its database software

News Story by Stacy Cowley

/story/0,10801,95768,00.html?nas=3DPM-95768">E=3D"Times New Roman">http://www.computerworld.com/databasetopics/data/soft=
ware/story/0,10801,95768,00.html?nas=3DPM-95768

SEPTEMBER 08, 2004 P://WWW.IDG.NET">(IDG N=
EWS SERVICE) - In a bid to ex=
pand the customer base for its database software, Sybase Inc. yesterday rel=
eased a free limited version of its software for deployment on Linux system=
s.

Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) E=
xpress Edition for Linux uses the same technology as Sybase's flagship ASE =
relational database management system, which competes against enterprise da=
tabase software from Oracle Corp., IBM and Microsoft Corp. The new ASE Expr=
ess Edition is free for both development and production use, though it is l=
imited to one CPU, 2GB of RAM and 5GB of total data storage. The HREF=3D"http://www.sybase.com/linuxpromo/">=3D"Times New Roman">software=
can be downloaded from Sybase's Web site.

David Jacobson, Sybase's senior director =
of database and tools marketing, said the company is releasing ASE Express =
for free in hopes of attracting customers who will later upgrade to Sybase'=
s ASE Small Business Edition, which has a license fee of $4,995 per process=
or, or Enterprise Edition, which has a fee of $24,995 per processor. Suppor=
t plans are available for ASE Express starting at $2,200 per year, but cust=
omers are not required to purchase a support plan.

"What we've found is that a lot of c=
ustomers are turning to open-source databases because of tight budgets,&quo=
t; Jacobson said. "But open-source databases are harder to use than co=
nventional databases -- you have to download, compile, develop, deploy and =
manage them."

Sybase, based in Dublin, Calif., hopes th=
ose customers will turn to its software. Although Sybase ASE is available f=
or Windows, Linux and Unix, Sybase is releasing only ASE Express for Linux.=
Jacobson said that's where the company sees demand.

"What we're finding is people are mo=
ving to Intel-based platforms off Unix machines," he said. "Micro=
soft has entry-level products, but for those moving from Unix to Linux, the=
re's a gap."

Forrester Research Inc. analyst Noel Yuha=
nna said the move is a good way for Sybase to recapture some of the market =
share it has lost in recent years to Oracle, IBM and Microsoft. "I thi=
nk this will help customers have a second look at Sybase," he said. &q=
uot;It's definitely a good value proposition compared to open-source databa=
ses. Sybase is a very mature database, known for reliability, availability =
and performance."

Yuhanna's chief complaint about ASE Expre=
ss is the tight limitation on data storage. For most customers, 5GB isn't e=
nough -- projects using free, open-source databases tend to average 10GB to=
20GB, he said.

"Five gigabytes isn't going to attra=
ct as many people," Yuhanna said. "If they want to compete, they =
need to increase that."

Sybase partner Amit Okhandiar, president =
of Irvine, Calif., consulting and services firm mLogica Inc., said he expec=
ts to use ASE Express on several upcoming projects for customers. P>

"I'm dealing with a lot of midsize a=
nd small companies, and cost is definitely an issue for them," Okhandi=
ar said. "Open-source is a good way to go, but down the line, as they =
grow, it becomes an issue. They start small and look for a free program lik=
e MySQL, but the problem with MySQL is that they can't sustain themselves w=
ith it."

Okhandiar said he will likely use ASE Exp=
ress for an upcoming portal project for a fitness center. The software's 1 =
CPU, 5GB limits are tight, he said, but still allow enough room for pilot p=
rojects.

"We'll use Sybase to do it, and if i=
t's successful, then the client sees that it's worth the investment [to upg=
rade]," he said. "This allows customers that don't want to spend =
too much to get started."

Regards,

Evan M. Inker  (New York) =
x. 4615