Attaching the name DB2 to the Unix and OS/2 databases has up to now been very much like pulling a counterpane neatly over an unmade bed, but major upgrades for the Unix and OS/2 products are on the way from IBM Corp, reports InfoWorld. The paper says they will lay to rest some of the current incompatibilities that prevent easy migration of DB2 applications between the mainframe and other systems. DB2/6000 2.0, which has been in beta test since last June, is due out this June, and according to the paper will support both object and text data, tying in with new video server technology called Digital Library that should emerge some time this month. Digital Library will enable video data to be stored and retrieved through DB2. A PowerPC version of DB2 is in the works for both OS/2 and AIX, and NT is said to be still under consideration. A desktop version, Ultralite, for Windows and OS/2, goes into beta test this month.
