Re: Oracle Vs SAP Round 1

List,

I think there is something about the ERP marketplace that you don't understand. There is a tradition in the ERP market that the customer is given the source code. I used to work for a major ERP vendor and all customers had source code. In fact, patches were distributed as lines of COBOL and editing instructions. Many customers modify the vendor's code in minor or major ways, which creates a real headache for upgrades. Some customers modify the source code so much that it isn't fesable to upgrade.

    I believe most ERP vendors are working on better methods for customers to add modifications than direct modification of source code such as APIs, mainly for selfish reasons. Once a customer decides they've modified so far they can no longer upgrade, they'll probably stop paying maintenance fees.

Dennis Williams

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