Cloudscape Inc, the company with a 1.5 Mb footprint embedded Java SQL database says version 1.5 of its eponymous software goes into production today. The beta program gets also gets underway for version 2.this week, which will ship in the spring and will include a replication engine. In addition to its deal with Informix announced this week (12/10/98) whereby Cloudscape is offered to Informix customers who want a ‘lite’ database to enable offline workers to store data, the Oakland, California- based company is also about to start work on a DataBlade to plug into the Informix architecture, although Informix thought it might not turn out to be a DataBlade eventually, but some other form of plug-in. Cloudscape had its database working with Informix at the Java Business Expo in New York this week and the two companies say the certification process to ensure they work together properly will be complete within a few days. Informix has a small footprint version of its database called Personal Edition, aimed at desktop users, but that footprint is not small enough for this type of work and some other ideas Informix has in mind, such as databases on PDAs, and therefore it went to Cloudscape. Cloudscape VP marketing Malcolm Colton says Oracle Lite competes with his product in marketing terms, but technically, the products are extremely different.
