We tested six popular free or open source relational database management systems (RDBMS): Microsoft SQL Server Express, PostgreSQL, Oracle’s MySQL, MariaDB, Apache Derby, and Firebird SQL.

Microsoft's upcoming SQL Server 2005 Express is restricted for use on one processor, up to one gigabyte of addressable RAM and a maximum four-gigabyte database size.

MySQL is free for non-commercial purposes and cannot cost much for commercial use. Offers feature just like MS-SQL, Oracle, and IBM DB2, large-end database applications.

In the area of database instructional book sales, considered a good indicator of developer interest, sales of SQL Server how-to books have surpassed MySQL books this year, according to Roger ...

Oracle intends to release a free version of its database, a reaction to the growing competitive pressure from low-end open-source databases.

Instead of adding more MySQL servers, Green decided to roll out three installations of IBM ‘s new DB2 Express-C database. They are managed by a load-balancing application from Xkoto Inc., which is ...

PlanetScale is basically Vitess on MySQL in the cloud, with a cloud user interface, plus a command line interface (CLI) that you can run on your own machine. The CLI can control almost everything ...

Analyst firm Hydrasight research director John Brand believes even if free databases are now available from the tier-1 vendors, the commercial database is unlikely to disappear completely.

For answers, we reviewed six popular free or open source database products: Microsoft SQL Server Express, PostgreSQL, Oracle’s MySQL, MariaDB, Apache Derby, and Firebird SQL.

Oracle intends to release a free version of its database, a reaction to the growing competitive pressure from low-end open-source databases. The database heavyweight on Tuesday is expected to ...