Oracle unveils double-byte J.D. Edwards

Oracle has released double-byte versions of the J.D. Edwards World software, and uncertainty surrounding the software giant's takeover bid for PeopleSoft may have been put to rest.

Last week, Oracle announced the Japanese and Chinese versions of J.D. Edwards World A9.1, a move important for tapping the Asian markets.

Adrian Johnston, Oracle Asia-Pacific vice president for application product solutions, is optimistic about J.D. Edwards' future in the region.

"There's been significant uptake and momentum in China and India, because it is a midmarket solution targeted at companies with below half a million in revenue," Johnston told ZDNet Asia in an interview.

Such angling of the software's target audience makes the application attractive to emerging markets which have a mass of smaller companies, he added.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Oracle claims to have clinched 200 deals for J.D. Edwards World over the last 12 to 18 months.

Settling doubts
Initial uncertainty in the user community surrounding Oracle's buyout of PeopleSoft--which owned J.D. Edwards through an acquisition--appears to have been quelled.

Daniel Strassberg, chairman of Oracle user group, Quest Asia, said: "The uncertainty behind the takeover has been settled. Oracle has been responding very quickly to queries [from the user community]."

Highlighting the users' earlier concerns over having a Web interface instead of J.D. Edwards World's text interface, Strassberg said: "You're going from green-screen to a Web version… But users eventually saw that the Web version is more flexible and user-friendly."

The single-byte version of J.D. Edwards World A9.1 was first released in April this year. Both single- and double-byte versions are available as an on-premise installation, where the software is implemented at the user's premises, or as a service.