IBM will give Cloudscape, the database software it
acquired through its 2001 acquisition of Informix, to the Apache
Software Foundation, which will oversee Cloudscape as an
open-source project.
IBM said this marks the first time it donated the source code of
a full, commercial product. Although it stopped promoting
Informix's Cloudscape to new customers after it acquired the
company, IBM has used the software in its own products, most
notably its Workplace line of middleware offerings.
"We backed away from selling it, but it got heavy use internally
- it had almost a viral effect internally," said Rod Smith, IBM's
vice-president of emerging technologies. "Cloudscape showed up and
our developers salivated."
Cloudscape's code comprises more than half a million lines, and
IBM estimates the software's value at $85m (£47m). IBM said its
goal in releasing the code as open-source is to spur Java
application development, creating new business opportunities for
its infrastructure software products.
"It's amazing how many times I've looked at a Java application
and someone has written their own little relational database,"
Smith said. "Now, people won't have to do that anymore."
Cloudscape, called Derby in its latest incarnation, is a
lightweight, Java-based relational database with a footprint of
just 2Mbytes. It is significantly less resource-intensive than
enterprise databases such as IBM's DB2. It is aimed at small
websites, point-of-sale systems and departmental-level or
small-business applications.
RedMonk Analyst Stephen O'Grady said Cloudscape addresses an
area of the database market which lacks a clear technology
leader.
He does not see it displacing robust software such as MySQL;
rather, he sees Cloudscape as an alternative to lightweight
products like HSQL (Hypersonic SQL) and Sleepycat Software's
Berkeley database.
"I would not anticipate anytime soon that we'll see the traction
behind this that we see behind something like MySQL, but on the
other hand, I don't think you have to," O'Grady said. "The
opportunity is there to pick up some substantial users."
Cloudscape is already in use by several of IBM's business
partners, including Akamai Technologies, which incorporates the
database in its caching technology.
IBM rival Computer Associates International also released one of
its database products, Ingres, into the open-source community
earlier this year. Fresh off its SuSE Linux purchase, Novell is
transitioning toward a business model emphasising open-source
products, while even GPL (General Public License) arch-nemesis
Microsoft has quietly released a few of its technologies under
open-source licences.
RedMonk's O'Grady said he sees different motives and
circumstances driving the various companies' open-source releases,
but one widespread influence is the growing recognition that for a
product on which development has stagnated, companies can benefit
by tapping community resources.
In the case of Cloudscape, a product that gets heavy use
internally at IBM, releasing it as open source can help extend
IBM's technology stack throughout the developer community, O'Grady
said.
He also sees political gain in the move. "IBM needs to keep
donating to the community to keep up the goodwill. That's true of
any company that wants to make a big commitment to open
source."
IBM plans to release a commercial version of Cloudscape later this
year, which it said it will base on the Apache code. IBM expects
its Cloudscape code to be available at the Apache.org website
within the next few weeks.
Stacy Cowley writes for IDG News Service