Two months later than expected, Oracle Corporation has finally begun shipping its Oracle 8i database server, a new Internet-friendly server that will run on Windows NT or, using upcoming "raw iron" appliances, without an operating system at all. Oracle is touting the database as the ultimate backend for Web-based commerce.
"We had a minor hiccup with an eight-week slip, but for a two and a half year development for Oracle, we almost hit our date on the nose," said Jeremy Burton, an Oracle VP. "We're happy today to ship the product out the door."
Even on Windows NT, however, Oracle 8i is attempting to distance itself from the Redmond giant. The forthcoming Internet File System, for example, will allow NT-based Oracle 8i servers to store Web pages and other files in the database, rather than use NT's native file system