Re: HELP! Default date format in SQL*Plus isn't dd-mon-yy!

"Volker Hetzer" <volker.hetzer_at_ieee.org> wrote in message news:<b3l5aa$ukj$1_at_dackel.pdb.sbs.de>...
> "R" <R_at_R.R> wrote in message news:R3o7a.346663$Yo4.12259846_at_news1.calgary.shaw.ca...
> > > > I'm finding Oracle to have the most inconsistent command structure that
> I've
> > > > ever seen!
> > > What's wrong with it?
> > > That command line says that there are (or might be) several ways of
> altering
> > > a session and setting variable is just one of them.
> > > Therefore the "ALTER SESSION SET ..." makes sense.
> >
> > It just seems to have no structure... sometimes SET needs an "=" symbol to
> > assign a value, sometimes not. The BREAK command separates its parameters
> > with "ON" instead of commas. When insert data into multiple tables at one
> > time you can't use the native column names... you must specify alias' for
> > them. To clear the format on a column it's "COLUMN CLEAR..." but to clear
> > all columns its "CLEAR COLUMN"
> Well, the column command does a lot more things for columns and the clear
> command can clear lot of other things. Personally I think that this is in keeping
> with SQL. I don't like some sql bits for the same reason as you but I'd rather
> see consistence in the inconsistencies (in the hope that it will become clear to me
> in time) that have two different conventions which may or may not be consistent
> themselves.
> Sound's stupid, but I'm sure, depending on what you want you can always select
> the right command and see where it has advantages in a specific situation.

I think the commands were originally simple and arbitrary, and have evolved to the point where a newbie is quite justified in expressing an opinion like R's. But that is not as important technically as that the SQL language being used as a data interchange command language is... a stretch, to put it mildly. But then again, the limbic system of the human brain wasn't evolved to deal with usenet.

>
> >
> > Finding any kind of help on the Oracle website is just insane.
> Why? log in to metalink, type in some keywords for your query
> and read the results. Never had a problem with this.

I have used it for many years, and also feel it is quite useful. However, I see new people try it and have, um, unrealistic expectations. I think newbie faqs could be useful. I saw an ad for Oracle Guerilla programming or some such book, that seemed from the ad to address the newbie issues. Anybody evaluate that book?

>
> > With all the
> > icons that the Oracle install puts into my start menu it would make sense to
> > include some kind of command reference
> Remember, oracle is a BIG application with lots of stuff in it. If you don't neet
> all the goodies, then maybe oracle isn't right for you. It's designed to be powerful
> for large applications. It's not designed to be easy to use with one database with a couple
> dozen tables, no replication and vanilla sql. That would be akin to using SAP to manage
> your contents of your fridge.
>
> Have you considered mysql? I've always found it sufficient for small fry stuff
> like homegrown bug tracking systems or to manage board and component prices
> for our department.
>
> > Oracle documentation is worse than
> > Microsoft documentation!
> You *have* loaded the index for the pdf docs? You *do* know about
> shift-ctrl-f in the acrobat reader?

I don't, shift_ctrl-f doesn't do anything. What is it supposed to do?  Some version of acrobat?

jg

--
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How come we never made comp.databses.oracle.newbie?