News

Pervasive joins Magic; unveils Linux DBMS

• By Will Kilburn
• June 11, 2003

Pervasive Software last week signed an agreement to market development tools from Magic software with its Pervasive.SQL DBMS offerings. At the same time, Pervasive unveiled Pervasive.SQL Linux Client Requester Release Candidate, which officials said brings the firm's Pervasive.SQL V8 database engine to the Linux world.

To differentiate the two announcements, Pervasive Senior Product Manager Steve Slezak said that while Linux is still in the building block stage for many, "people have been developing with Magic and Pervasive together for approximately 10 years now. There's just a huge base." The agreement, Slezak added, will allow each company to take advantage of the other's dedicated user base, and to leverage their combined sales and distribution infrastructure. While each company operates worldwide, Texas-based Pervasive has a stronger presence in the U.S., while Magic, based in Israel, has more of a presence in Europe.

How will the agreement with Magic affect application developers? Suaad Sait, Pervasive's vice president of marketing, said the integration of Pervasive.SQL V8 database engine with Magic's eDeveloper v9.4 will benefit developers whether they have worked with one, both or neither of the products. Current users of Pervasive, he said, will have access to Magic's application development environment; Magic developers who previously used another database now have a ready-made alternative; and those who do not use either product can take advantage of an "out-of-the-box" solution. Sait was also quick to point out that the agreement with Magic was not an indication that Pervasive has any plans to branch out from its core field of expertise.

"We've said to everyone, 'We're going to be a database management company. We're going to provide a database, plus technologies that are a complement to that,'" he said. "We're not going to get into the apps business. Our mission is to be a data management software company."

As for Pervasive's increased thrust into the Linux arena, Sait said the company was influenced by two factors: Companies moving to Linux and its promise of low TCO, and the proliferation of smart devices in the field.

"The interesting difference in the Linux world is that the client component, or remote access component, is the same, but it's different in the sense that a client in the Linux world doesn't necessarily mean a desktop computer talking to a server. It could mean a set-top box for your WebTV-type of environment or a network switch," he explained, adding that customers can now acquire "the remote access component, as well as the server, as a complete offering. So they can build and deploy applications in the Linux world, opening the doors to things that weren't open to them before."

Slezak said that while Pervasive has had a Linux offering on the back end since 1999, the company has stepped up its efforts in response to growing customer demand.

"We've heard people coming to us first in dribs and drabs, and then more and more often, looking for remote connectivity, whether that be from the desktop or from devices," said Slezak. He added that Linux has also caught the eye of retailers who have been reluctant to switch devices like cash registers and point-of-sale computers away from DOS. "They've never really wanted to go toward Windows because you don't want to show up at the grocery store and have them [say] 'Hold on a second while I reboot.'"

Pervasive's long track record, Slezak said, also appeals to those who want a proven product at a time when reliable solutions need to be found both quickly and inexpensively.

"The value proposition that we've had for the past 20 years of low maintenance [and high] performance and reliability matches exactly with what Linux brings to the table," said Slezak. "Set it, forget it, rock solid and the thing just screams without requiring incredible amounts of hardware."

To learn more about Pervasive's Linux Client Requester Release Candidate, please go to www.pervasive.com/linuxrc

Pervasive Software
www.pervasive.com

Magic Software
www.magicsoftware.com