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IBM Sets DB2 Database Free (Beer)

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the not-as-in-speech dept.

Anonymous Coward writes to tell us that in the hopes of winning more developer interest, IBM has released a free version of their DB2 database. From the article: "DB Express-C is the same database as IBM's commercial offerings but the company places limits on what kind of hardware it can run on. It can be deployed on systems with two processor cores or up to two dual-core chips on Advanced Micro Devices- or Intel-based servers. The memory limit is 4GB but there are no limits on the size of database or number of users. "

18 of 253 comments (clear)

  1. Question for/from the Inept by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    *puts on his ragged and unused database admin hat*

    *paints two large concentric circles on his chest, one inside the other*

    *throws off his gloves ... and steps into the circle of death that is known as a Slashdot forum*

    Alright, I run a MYSQL database at home for my little crappy web server which no one visits because pictures of me visiting Mexico isn't exactly worth typing a number into your browser. All those details aside, why should I switch to either Microsoft's SQL Server 2005, Oracle 10g or DB2?

    I'm a huge MYSQL fan ... well, because I've enjoyed their stuff freely for quite some time. Suddenly, everyone (and their dog) is releasing their once-thousand-dollar database in a free and slightly inhibited form.

    Why the hell should I even bother thinking about switching to these new databases? And, further more, it seems that most of these newly free databases are not intended for corporate use ... like DB2's memory limit and the castrations of the other databases ... so where do they belong? In the hands of small businesses? A company's "developer camp?"

    And could you be so kind as to make the prior assumption that I know I'm an idiot so you don't need to tell me that. Just give me some nice hard facts that are easy to measurably prove one database has an advantage over another.

    By the way, thanks ScuttleMonkey for clarifying that it's "free as in beer." Unfortunately it's only noon and now you've awakened my desire to get slammed over lunch.

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:Question for/from the Inept by iabervon · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The big databases seem to do better with tons of reads and writes. They also tend to have extensions that let you do things to make certain types of complicated queries a lot faster (such as "for each month, give me the number of rows with a date column in that month and the total of the value column, also the total number of rows, and the total of the value column. But only include rows where the owner column is this value.")

      The reason that they're releasing free versions is for developers whose software is used by big companies. If you were working on software for some big company and the database companies didn't offer free versions, you couldn't provide a solution using an expensive database, because you wouldn't be able to test it without paying a lot of money that you won't want to. Then the big company doesn't have a reason to buy the expensive database, because their applications aren't tested with it and probably won't run any faster. When I was working for a company that made a web application intended to be deployed internally by big companies, we used half a dozen free copies of Oracle, and probably wouldn't have used Oracle if these hadn't been available. Of course, these free copies of Oracle were running on workstations and only dealing with example data, not real customer data, so, from Oracle's point of view, the weren't actually doing any database work.

    2. Re:Question for/from the Inept by kpharmer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      > So, given your rankings above, PostgreSQL, tends to find a middle ground between Oracle's
      performance/scalability ranking.
      > In other words, PostgreSQL tends to scale less than Oracle yet tends to perform better.

      While I agree with your definitions of scaleability & performance, what would lead you to the above conclusion?

      Both postgresql and mysql lack query parallelism, fine memory tuning, any kind of partitioning, etc. Without these features postgresql is *at best* only faster than oracle on index-oriented extremely transactional applications. And I'd say it was pretty safe bet that Oracle would stomp postgresql in that space as well on reasonable hardware (ie, not desktops, etc).

      Note, of the two databases I would still rather work with postgresql - it's a fine product and allows me to avoid dealing with oracle personnel. It's just not as fast.

      > MySQL, on the other hand, performs fairly fast for read-only databases but scales very poorly.

      Scaleability should also consider economics, and mysql can cost. It all depends on how you use it. At what? $500/year/database it can easily be more expensive than a small oracle/db2/etc database (which after the first year will drop to 18% or so maintenance). Given that cost postgresql could pull ahead - even assuming equal performance.

      And compared to db2 or oracle, then for the classic read-only applications (reporting) mysql will fall *far* behind. Again, the lack of parallelism & partitioning can easily lead to a 40x difference in performance between db2 & mysql. And while hardware costs are dropping, they aren't dropping so far that you want to spend 40x as much on a server in order to support mysql.

  2. I'm confused by AKAImBatman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How does this differ from the "Free" version they used to give away? I think I still have the install files sitting around somewhere for the 7.1 UDB install that I got off IBM's website. Did they stop offering a free version for awhile, then restart, or is this licensed a bit differently?

    --
    Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
  3. features by MORTAR_COMBAT! · · Score: 5, Interesting

    does mysql do this:

    http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/db2/library/ techarticle/dm-0511singh/

    --
    MORTAR COMBAT!
    1. Re:features by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      One of the most fundimental advantages of Oracle over the others is that it offers read consistent transactions without locking. This is a fundamental ACID principle that is not possible with other platforms. Moving from Oracle to SQL Server or Sybase can be a shock to the system when you realise that to get consistent safe reads you have to wait for any update locks on the underlying page to be released!

  4. Scalable Software by RevMike · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Why the hell should I even bother thinking about switching to these new databases? And, further more, it seems that most of these newly free databases are not intended for corporate use ... like DB2's memory limit and the castrations of the other databases ... so where do they belong? In the hands of small businesses? A company's "developer camp?"

    First of all, the commercial database offerings are far more feature rich than MySQL, though MySQL is getting better all the time. MySQL is fabulous for the hobbyist and small business crowd, but won't be found as a core technology of a major investment bank or backing an SAP installation at a large manufacturer anytime soon.

    So the benefit of these free commercial products is that developers can build systems based on these technologies, then scale them easily to both small businesses and large enterprises. No one will start running their self-hosted blog on DB2, but it is easy to build a software product which may target businesses of several different sizes, and using a consistent database engine for small business and large enterprises is useful.

  5. Toes, now feet in the water by fak3r · · Score: 2, Interesting

    IBM has certainly come a long way in the past few years in regards to recognizing the value of open source software. Now that they have a 'real' free offering(they used to have a bastardized one, and some will argue that this is only free as in beer, that this isn't free either, but...) this should change the dynamic of their marketshare. I know most goverment projects now pretty much want DB2 (at least the ones I've been involved in) but this will open the door for all sorts of options, ppl running CMSs, ppl using Databases for virtual mail users...wow, this is actually a pretty big deal, I think.

    Now, IBM, when will you offer either a 'naked' Thinkpad, or one that comes preinstalled with Linux (or FreeBSD) for us who want a real workstation?

    --
    fak3r.com
  6. OK - I'll bite - the 2 proc limit is significant by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2, Interesting

    OK - I'll bite - the 2 proc limit is significant. Most of the other "here's a free, hobbled copy of the huge thing we hope you will buy someday" seem to have a 2 proc limit. On the other hand, the truly free databases have so many advantages (for me, it's small footprint) over these that they are not worth looking at - I'd never want the FULL version of these databases, even if those, too, were free.

  7. So ... why would I move from PostgreSQL to DB2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Besides the obvious "cost" reasons, what would DB2 give me that PostgreSQL doesn't?

    I don't care about point'n'drool interfaces or other such frippery. I do care about multimaster replication and rock-solid stability.

    1. Re:So ... why would I move from PostgreSQL to DB2? by DARKFORCE123 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      DB2 main attractiveness for being free is its feature set. PostgreSQL already has a well developed feature set for a 'free' offering so you may not get as much from it unlike if you migrated from MySQL. No offense to MySQL, but for now its claim to greatness is being 'free' and speed, not having a fully developed feature set.

      Bottom line is that this free DB2 should be considered an evaulation kit for a larger deployment more than anything else since its way more than you need for a small system.

  8. Question from the Impatient.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    OK, DB/2 is fine and all, but how about a free (no 90-day limit) edition of Informix Dynamic Server?

    Something I once heard from a contractor: IBM bought Informix in hopes of merging the Informix technology into DB/2... but found that Informix was so far ahead of them that there was no way they could do it without a full rewrite.

  9. Re:A little too late? by AnotherDaveB · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I think it falls directly in step with IBM's shift in strategy - lower the software cost and generate service based revenues.

    I'm sure you're right. All hardware / service companies want to get a bigger share of the available IT budget, money not spent on software is available for the New Toy.

    IBM may be too late for the vast majority of developers. The ones that offered their products to develop and learn on are the ones that will find some sort of loyalty.

    If DB2 is the superior product, I'm sure the vast majority of developers will be happy to consider it.

  10. IBM Undercutting Itself? by Zerbs · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The specs for the free version seem high compared to the Express versions offered by MicroSoft and Oracle. I've seen a number of companies run their production databases on simmilar or even lowwer specs than that. (2 dual-core processor, 4GB RAM) I know IBM is moving to the service model, and that they tend to charge an arm and a leg, but I wonder how long these companies will be able to give things away for free. Will there eventually be escalation on what is free from Oracle and MicroSoft too?

    --
    "22 astronauts were born in Ohio. What is it about your state that makes people want to flee the Earth?" Stephen Colbert
  11. So what? by Qbertino · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't want a free database. There are more full-range free databases out there than free full-range editors.

    I want a free database + free zero hassle one stop installation + free zero database driver suckage + free native object-relational OSS PL support (and I mean Python and Ruby and PHP and Perl, all at the same time) + free full range plattform independent grafical admining + SQL errors that don't say "syntax error between line 3 and 10000" + a free full-range professional level grafical ER tool with reverse engineering of any DB I have to migrate to the DB they offer + free optional zero fuss, 3 config lines maximum load balancing.

    Call me when you offer that and I'll be using DB2, Oracle or whatever within an instant.

    Until then I'll stick to my current MySQL InnoDB stunts and my plans to migrate to Postgres or - as the case might be - Firebird. They are truly free and they got my attention. And if MySQL Workbench will be as cool as it looks I might even just not switch at all. Despite the fact that current MySQL still has way to go before becoming a full range database. MaxDB might change that - but we'll see.

    Sorry folks but getting attention requires a tad more than just giving your DB away for free these days. And it's all your fault. Hadn't you asked such bizar prices in the first place things probably would look different today.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  12. I don't pay for software until I know it well. by pkulak · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For example: I'd heard good things about ASP.NET 2.0. I've been a Java guy for a couple years, but decided to try it out on a new project. I got the VWD package for free, and got going. After a couple weeks I realized that this was the direction I wanted to take with future development and got my boss to order up some Visual Studio Pro licenses for myself and coworkers.

    I started in Java because it was free, and would still be there had it not been for VWD. I think this is an excellent strategy by IBM.

  13. Whoa! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm certainly not complaining after hearing this bit of news. I've used to working with MySQL and PostgreSQL and have done a few things with Oracle too over the few years I've been developing apps. I can't say I have a preference though. I used pick the DBMS depending on the requirements of the app, rather than by my preference. My current employer, however, uses DB2 for all projects, and so far I've been quite taken with the scalability. Stress testing now makes me smile when it used to make me want to hide somewhere very, very dark and far away (That is vs. MySQL and Postgre).

    The thing that has bugged me however, is that the licences are so expensive. This now means though, that I can run my own instances of the db for development and early release stuff and don't have to be bugging the DBAs for every minor detail, only when I need their expertise. Nice. Boosts my productivity.

    And I do have a few personal projects going that I hope will someday be needing the scale I can get out of DB2. Now I can develop them and run them on DB2 from the start.

    I know this sounds like sales pitch. Fire at will. Me happy!

  14. The best reason to get it (I already did) by Mycroft_514 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I am a DBA in a DB2 shop. We are still running 7.x and they are giving away 8.2 This will give me several months to try out new features of 8.2 before the upgrade to our mainframe.

    I can throw this on my laptop, and try out some ODBC stuff as well which is going to come down the pike from the development side of the house.