Oracle announced a free database. Oracle Database XE is their response to other open-source databases.

Even-though last week some specialists signaled some serious problems with the security of their databases, Oracle came out with a new free database called Database XE or Express Edition.

The database will be effectively available by the end of the year and it aims small organizations, software vendors and students. Actually this edition of Oracle database is like any other except a few restrictions like running only on servers with one processor, 4 GB disk space and 1 GB of RAM.

“The new low-end edition is aimed squarely at free and open-source alternatives to Oracle’s namesake database,” said Andrew Mendelsohn, senior vice president of Oracle’s server technologies division.

On the database market, open-source databases are becoming very popular lately. MySQL is the leader but there are other databases like IMB’s DB2 that are close behind it. Microsoft also plans the release of a free version for its SQL Server called Express.

“There is definitely a market there (for low-end databases) and a demand. And we want them to be using Oracle and not MySQL or SQL Server Express,” Mendelsohn said. “It’s definitely a reaction to the market interest.”