Oracle Announces General Availability of Oracle® Database 10g Express Edition

Developers, Students and Solution Providers Applaud Free, Starter Edition of World’s Leading Database for Easy Application Development
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., 28-FEB-2006 Expanding its commitment to meet the needs of developer communities, Oracle today announced the general availability of Oracle® Database 10g Express Edition (Oracle Database XE), the free, starter edition of its world-renowned Oracle Database. Since its beta debut in October 2005, Oracle Database XE has received strong global support from developers, students and solution providers using it to develop database applications on Windows and Linux platforms.
With support for a wide range of development environments, Oracle Database XE offers developers the freedom to develop and deploy applications on their platform of choice. Hundreds of thousands of Java, .NET, PHP and Web programmers, including students and third-party solution providers, have already downloaded the powerful, industry-leading database, at no cost.

Built on the same code base as Oracle Database 10g Release 2, Oracle Database XE delivers the performance, reliability and security functionality for which the Oracle Database is known. Because it is compatible with the entire Oracle Database family of products, Oracle Database XE makes it easy for users to start small and upgrade to other editions of the database, when necessary. Additionally, Oracle Database XE enables developers to take full advantage of Oracle Application Express for rapid development and deployment of Web-based applications.

“We are very pleased with the interest and uptake of Oracle Database XE,” said Thomas Kyte, Vice President, Oracle. “This product has hit the mark with developers and ISVs who want free access to proven, high-quality database software. Oracle Database XE delivers an entry-level database with all of the enterprise-level functionality that the development community has come to expect from Oracle.”

Users Attest to Benefits of Industry’s No Cost, High-quality Database
Developers across multiple geographies and various industries are using Oracle Database XE to easily develop applications.

Based in Springfield, Mo., Missouri State University is the second largest campus in the state with more than 20,000 students, providing undergraduate and graduate programs in many disciplines. As an essential part of its database course curriculum, the university offers database application development classes involving SQL and Oracle’s PL/SQL language. “Because of its small footprint and ease of installation, Oracle Database XE makes it easy for students to get to know an Oracle database,” said Rajeev Kaula, Ph.D, Professor Computer Information Systems, Missouri State University. “With access to Oracle Database XE, students have the opportunity to supplement their application development with advanced database programs like procedures, functions and triggers, completely free of charge.”

Washington, D.C.-based Daon, the leading provider of identity assurance software products worldwide, now includes Oracle Database XE as a standard offering within its DaonEngine product suite. Daon products enable solution providers to deliver identity and credentialing solutions that increase security and achieve overall business goals. Oracle Database XE provides Daon customers with an easy upgrade path to Oracle Database Standard Edition or Oracle Database Enterprise Edition as their projects migrate to enterprise-level solutions. “Oracle Database XE provides Daon and our customers with an implementation roadmap across projects of any size, scale, and distributed architecture, with cost-effective, efficient database functionality. Oracle Database XE, coupled with the broader suite of Oracle’s database products, creates a complementary match with Daon’s products across the breadth of required solutions,” said RJ Langley, Vice President of Products, Daon.

German consultancy, Opal Consulting, uses Oracle Database XE, coupled with Oracle Application Express, to quickly and easily build Web-based applications for its customers. Opal Consulting, based in Cologne, specializes in consulting, software development and project management for a variety of industries. “Building an application using Oracle Database XE and Oracle Application Express is a snap. This winning combination enables me to deliver the reliability, high availability and security my customers demand,” said Dietmar Aust, Consultant, Opal Consulting. “For the first time, my customers can use a truly professional database for their small applications, which also scales nicely with their growing needs.”

Availability
Oracle Database XE is generally available on 32-bit Windows and a wide range of Linux operating systems including Mandriva Linux 2006 Power Pack+, Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and SUSE Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Fedora and Ubuntu. The software can be downloaded for free from the Oracle Technology Network at: http://www.oracle.com/technology/xe. Oracle Database XE is available for download, usage and distribution at no charge. For terms, conditions and restrictions read the FAQ at http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/xe/pdf/dbxe_faq.pdf.

Oracle offers a free online forum for registered users to discuss topics related to Oracle Database XE usage. The forum is hosted and monitored by Oracle Database experts and is available through: http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/xe/forum.html.

About Oracle
Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world’s largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com.

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Teri Whitaker

Oracle

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