The new license option enables open source projects to freely use the Db4o code. On the other hand, companies developing and shipping proprietary products incorporating Db40 will continue to pay for commercial licenses, which include support and indemnification, Db4objects says.
Db4objects calls db4o "the world's first native Java and .NET object database." It says the database simplifies development by storing objects in their native format, rather than requiring translation into SQL or another format. The company says the database is used in the control system behind Spain's AVE high-speed train system, and in performance cars from BMW.
Db4objects Chairman Mark Leslie said, "The db4objects software is a mature and stable product. Our dual license initiative will rapidly expand our presence in [real-time embedded systems]." And Eastern Data Group, a U.K. supplier of mobile computing systems, helps English dairy farmers deliver milk to market using mobile computers powered by Windows CE and a native .NET db4o database.
Eric Falsken, lead application developer at medical device company Massie Labs, said, "Our medical customers rely on db4o to store and compare retinal images for health diagnosis. [It] requires zero administration."
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