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Oracle-Compaq box to compete with Ellison start-up

The Net appliance collaboration with Compaq, which Oracle CEO Larry Ellison announced earlier this week at Comdex 2000, stands to compete squarely against another Ellison-backed venture.

Gina Smith, CEO of the New Internet Computer, a US-based start-up that Ellison launched in May to market a $US199 Internet device dubbed the NIC, indicated this week that her company plans to market a Net appliance similar to the one Ellison is working with Compaq to build.

The Oracle/Compaq appliance will be based on the Oracle 9i Application Server and Compaq's ProLiant DL360 ultra-thin two-way server, according to Ellison. In an e-mail exchange with Computerworld, Smith said that while the current NIC does not have the functionality of the Oracle/Compaq device, a change is in the offing.

"The NIC is not currently capable of playing with Oracle apps, 9i or otherwise," Smith said. "It is essentially a Netscape browser in a box. But I wouldn't be surprised to see us come out soon with something very similar to what the Compaq collaboration is working on. Stay tuned."

Smith attributed that similarity to a determination on Ellison's part to win the Internet computing battle.

"Oracle's goal is to rule this Internet computing business from software to hardware. Without speaking for Oracle, I can tell that there are several ways they will approach this," she said. "They're all over the board."

Nominations for the 2012 ARN IT Industry Awards open on Tuesday, June 12.

More about: Comdex, Compaq, Mail Exchange, Net Appliance, NIC, Oracle

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