Re: Usage of the database "Oracle" vs. company "Oracle"

On Jul 28, 1:47 pm, Barry Bulsara <bbulsar..._at_hotmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, I am writing a document and normally I wouldn't give a second
> thought to saying such and such will run using a database such as
> Oracle.
>
> It occurred to me that Oracle is the name of the company, and that an
> Oracle database doesn't differentiate between what you and I think of
> daily as Oracle (eg. 9i, 10g, or "launched" but not "released" 11g),
> and Oracle Times Ten or Oracle Database Lite or Oracle Berkeley DB or
> some other database Oracle provides that I have forgotton about.
>
> Does just shorthand "Oracle" still refer to say 10g. I don't want to
> write Oracle 10g because then I am specifying a version which opens a
> can of worms elsewhere.
>
> Ideas anyone.
>
> Thank you
> Barry

Given that I train and consult in Oracle licensing, Oracle database, Oracle tools and Oracle application server - when I hear 'Oracle', I nearly always need to investigate the context of the word.

If I hear Oracle by itself from a manager, I usually translate that to Oracle Database - Enterprise Edition _licensing_, independent of version.

>From a DBA, it usually means the version they use most often - in my
case 10g, although to the majority of customers here it tends to mean 8i/8.1.6 (not 8.1.7) or 9i Release 2 - 9.2.0.4/7/8. From a developer, it usually means 10g Dev Suite - Forms or JDeveloper 10g. And from a Web Server or App Server administrator it generally mens App Server 102 Release 2

I've been stung by assumptions so often, that I have tried to get into the habit of verifying those assumptions. Meaning of 'Oracle', and in context of an Oracle product, getting specifics of product, version and OS are almost second nature.

One assumption I often make is that when someone asks for help and does not specify OS, it's likely to be Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Which one, and which edition, depends on how. fast they were to pay bills last time.

So - to answer your question is fairly simple ... and fairly typical Oracle: "it depends".

In database terms, this month 9iR2 and 10gR2 are pretty much assumed. Since 9iR2 goes into extended support next week, 'Oracle' will likely mean 9iR2 for the next 6 months due to the flurry of activity by those who want to stay legal and keep costs down (as extended support carries a surcharge). After which I expect it to default to 10gR2. ( .. except for me because I'll be learning and teaching 11g.) Received on Sat Jul 28 2007 - 16:51:28 CDT