Oracle has unveiled its Database 10g Express Edition (XE), a free starter edition aimed at developers and students.

The company claims that "hundreds of thousands" of Java, .Net, PHP and web programmers have downloaded the free database since a beta went live in October 2005.

Built on the same code base as Oracle Database 10g Release 2, the free version is compatible with the entire Oracle Database family of products.

It enables developers to use the database Oracle Application Express for development and deployment of web-based applications.

Thomas Kyte, vice president at Oracle, said: "This product has hit the mark with developers and ISVs who want free access to proven, high-quality database software.

"Oracle Database XE delivers an entry-level database with all of the enterprise-level functionality that the development community has come to expect from Oracle."

Oracle Database XE is generally available on 32-bit Windows and a wide range of Linux operating systems including Mandriva Linux 2006 Power Pack+, Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and SuSE Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Fedora and Ubuntu.

The software can be downloaded free from the Oracle Technology Network here.