Re: linux

In article <782307109_at_f573.n115.z1.ftn> Michael Stowe <Michael.Stowe_at_f573.fido.chi.il.us> writes:
>*** Quoting Sandor Nieuwenhuijs to All dated 10-15-94 ***
>> As you post this to comp.databases.oracle, I guess you mean to ask
>> whether ORACLE is available on Linux. The answer is: no it isn't.
>> I have seen some messages from people who did run ORACLE successfully
>> on Linux, using the Intel SVR4 port (iBCS2). I am still planning to
>> try it someday myself, just for fun, but I guess Oracle will never
>> release a product on Linux, but ofcourse you never know.
>
>My understanding is that Oracle can't release a product on Linux, due to the
>Linux copyright structure. (In other words, they could release it, but they
>couldn't charge for it, which would kind of defeat the purpose.)

I don't think this is true. I'm aware of a few products being sold for Linux (a commercial X server, for one.)

<Opinion mode on>

I think it would be a big win for Oracle (or Sybase or Informix or Ingres etc) to release their client-side C libraries, OCI, DB-Lib, etc. as unsupported Linux libraries. There are several tools available to make real applications based on just the C libraries - my Oratcl and Sybtcl packages, like packages for Perl, C++/OI, C++/WxWin, etc. A DB server is still required, so no sale is lost.

Witness ParcPlace releasing the OI library. They sell it for Sun, HP, etc., but give it away on Linux.

-- 
Tom Poindexter     tpoind_at_advtech.uswest.com  or  tpoindex_at_nyx.cs.du.edu  
U S WEST Advanced Technologies,  Boulder, Colorado