From the Q&A it appears that this is an attempt to simplify database and operating system management by integrating the admin consoles, as well as stripping out parts of the OS that are non-core for DB operations. This is probably going to be most successful in the “M” part of the SMB market, where there is limited IT capability and attention paid to minimizing IT expenses. If Ingres is successful at delivering a DB software appliance (interesting how this term has morphed from combined hardware and software to preconfigured software sans the hardware), they could have a winner providing they are able to developer application support on top of it.

Ingres Corporation — Project Icebreaker FAQ:

Ingres is announcing Project Icebreaker, an industry first, proof of concept that combines the Ingres database with the Linux operating system to create a database software appliance.

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