From the UOracle dept.:
Database vendor Oracle may be eyeing Ubuntu as a potential partner as the company's Linux strategy continues to unfold. After acquiring open source database companies Sleepycat and Innobase earlier this year, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison revealed that the database company was interested in entering the Linux market, possibly by buying Novell. The move was seen as a response to Red Hat's acquisition of JBoss, which enabled the popular Linux distributor to provide support for a complete open source middleware stack that competes directly with Oracle's offerings.

In recent months, Oracle seems to have lost interest in acquiring a Linux vendor, but may still be looking for a new partner in the enterprise Linux sector. According to Canonical representative Jane Silber, the company behind the Ubuntu Linux distribution has "been discussing certification with Oracle" but has not reached any concrete decision. Based on information regarding Oracle's interaction with Canonical, Jeffries analyst Katherine Egbert speculates that Oracle's interest in Ubuntu is a consequence of "fallout" between Oracle and Red Hat. Egbert believes that Oracle is interested in working with Canonical to incorporate Ubuntu into "a dedicated hardware appliance with a pre-loaded software stack, or a soft appliance bundle." She also believes that there is "no evidence that Oracle will introduce a stand-alone version of Ubuntu's Linux OS."

Although Ubuntu is new to the enterprise IT market, the distribution has become an extremely popular choice amongst desktop Linux users. Since Canonical has no middleware software of its own, it doesn't compete with Oracle, and the interests of the two companies do not conflict. A partnernship with Oracle would be beneficial to Canonical, because it would promote the use of Ubuntu in an enterprise environment and provide new opportunities for lucrative service contracts.

arstechnica.com