Oracle is finally making it easier for developers to test-drive its industry-leading database software.

Hoping to appeal to smaller businesses and fend off competition from open-source rivals, Oracle plans to release a free version of its database software. The company has not made it official yet, but ...

DB2 Express-C is a free version of IBM's flagship database aimed at winning software developers over to its products.

Microsoft is offering free licenses for its database software to current Oracle customers in its latest effort to wrestle market share from its competitor.