In announcing Inprise's intention to release the source code to InterBase 6, the newest version of its SQL database, Dale Fuller, interim CEO and president of Inprise said "We are taking this bold step because we believe every Linux distribution needs Interbase ... This is an amazing opportunity for Inprise, its customers and the Open-source community."

InterBase will be released in open source form in the first part of 2000. In addition to Linux, Solaris and Windows NT platforms will be included. Inprise says it will continue to sell and support InterBase 5.6 through the usual distribution channels.

Interbase 6 is a high-performance SQL database geared toward both mobile computing and Internet-based applications on a variety of platforms including Linux, UNIX, Solaris, and Windows NT. A powerful relational database, Interbase 6 is used by corporations such as Motorola, MCI, Boeing, Bear Sterns, and NASA. Inprise Corporation (Nasdaq: INPR) is a major Internet-enabling software provider that has been committed to open platforms for years and has made a name for itself in the Linux community for its Linux initiatives in 1999, including its Linux version of JBuilder 3 Foundation Edition.

More information on Inprise's open sourcing of Interbase 6 will be available soon from their website here.