"We do have a [Linux] support infrastructure and are offering support to improve support for large-scale enterprises. It's not an 'us or them'. if you look at what makes Linux successful it's support from companies like Oracle."

Customers do not have to be using any Oracle products to get support for Unbreakable Linux.

On support for older products, Townsend said the support lifecycle for 9i goes into extended support in July next year, but it's "in customers' best interest to move to 10g".

Oracle's acquisition of Sleepycat Software, maker of the open source Berkeley DB, was not because of some technology, according to Townsend, but more about expanding the footprint.

Regarding other open source products Like MySQL, Townsend said a lot of people are "kicking the tyres of MySQL" but in terms of enterprise systems "we are not seeing them at all".