Free Oracle license

Looks like Sun and Oracle are going to offer a bundle - license for Oracle Database EE for free if you buy one year contract from Oracle and server based on UltraSparc IV/IV+ from Sun. Still no official announcements - so we have to wait for exact details. Looks interesting.

update: however there's a 'catch' - in a following years you have to pay full (no discounted) price for support - so if you need a support layer you should carefully count all prices to see if this promotion is right for you.

News.com.com:

Sun Microsystems said Tuesday it will bundle Oracle's database with higher-end Unix servers and partially subsidize the fees customers would otherwise have to pay to use the software.

Oracle's Enterprise Edition database software will be an option when customers buy the four-processor Sun Fire V490 or higher-end servers using the UltraSparc IV or IV+ processors. Sun will pay the Oracle license fee, but customers will be responsible for paying Oracle's annual support and maintenance fees, said Larry Singer, Sun's strategic insight officer.

The Register:

Most importantly, Sun has teamed with Oracle to create server/database bundles meant to undercut the pricing of rivals IBM and HP. No matter how many processors your Sun UltraSPARC system has, you get the Oracle enterprise edition database for free. It comes installed on the Sun server. Customers will have to pay for a one-year service contract from Oracle, which will then try and sell you on two, three and four more years of service.