Re: Oracle SE licensing question

From: Michelle Ryan <michelle.ryan.2006_at_gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:28:33 +0000
Message-ID: <glaacs$jkm$1_at_nntp.motzarella.org>



Many thanks, Joel. My response is in-line below...

joel garry wrote:
> On Jan 22, 8:16 am, Michelle Ryan <michelle.ryan.2..._at_gmail.com>
> wrote:

>> In my company, I am a part of a team of 15 developers and we need to
>> work on a project to develop applications on Oracle 11i db.
>>
>> Each one of us needs to host an instance of database on our PC/laptop.
>> Each developer also needs to connect database instance hosted on other
>> developers' laptop from time to time (that is, quite often).
>>
>> I'd like to emphasize that we are *not* hosting an application (in other
>> words a production system) for our company's customers.
>>
>> Up until now, life was simple, since we were using SQL Server 2005 and
>> each one of us had the Developer Edition of SQL Server 2005 which cost
>> less than $50.
>>
>> Most of us have dual core laptops. Three chaps, however, have quad
>> processor boxes.
>>
>> Is there free/cheap Oracle licensing scheme that we can take advantage
>> of? If not, would we be compliant if we bought 15 Named User Plus
>> licenses for Oracle Standard Edition (bearing in mind that Express and
>> StandardOne won't be acceptable to us).
>>
>> Please can anyone help?

>
> 1. google for Oracle XE. It's free, but certain limitations, I
> haven't checked when it will be out for 11g. It's designed to be a
> direct competitor for the free sql server thingee, whatever that is.
> I take it that's what you mean by Express, why exactly is it not
> acceptable to you?

Express Edition or XE won't be acceptable since we need to develop/test on larger than 4 GB databases.

>
> 2. Be sure you understand the oracle versioning. If you are talking
> about the database, you mean 11g. If you are talking about Oracle
> applications, that's another whole ball of worms and some cans of wax.

You are right. I should have said 11g

>
> 3. You can get real cheap basic support. Eventually you will want
> real support, which should be based on your production needs. You
> need support to get patches. You need patches to make production
> quality databases.

Is it possible to buy support (in order to get patches) even if we use a free developer license (instead of a production release kind of full cost license)?

>
> 4. Since I see SE1 isn't acceptable, you must understand which
> options you need? Could you let us in on that?
> http://www.oracle.com/database/product_editions.html

Looking at the above link, my impression is that perhaps SE1 would be ok for us. However, people around here seem to insist that we should develop/test on Standard Edition since that is what our customers would be using.

>
> 5. otn.oracle.com is where you get all this stuff besides patches.
> Yes, you can download enterprise edition. Free registration required,
> and worth every penny.
>
> 6. There is an oracle store online, but often you can do better with
> a salesperson or a third party, depending on your requirements.
>
> 7. See the license when you download. An excerpt:
>
> "We grant you a nonexclusive, nontransferable limited license to use
> the programs only for the purpose of developing, testing, prototyping
> and demonstrating your application, and not for any other purpose. If
> you use the application you develop under this license for any
> internal data processing or for any commercial or production purposes,
> or you want to use the programs for any purpose other than as
> permitted under this agreement, you must obtain a production release
> version of the program by contacting us or an Oracle reseller to
> obtain the appropriate license. You acknowledge that we may not
> produce a production release version of the program and any
> development efforts undertaken by you are at your own risk. We may
> audit your use of the programs. Program documentation, if available,
> may accessed online at http://otn.oracle.com/docs. "
>
> There have been myths floating around about things this lets you trip
> over, but basically, if you are just developing, download whatever you
> want and develop!

We've been told that a free developer license, that you get after free registration and download, prohibits other developers (even if they are in the same team and site) to connect to your database. I'd be interested in your take on that.

>
> 8. Be sure to take backups, as in the technical (as opposed to legal)
> sense, all those databases are production databases for your
> developers.
>
> 9. There are Concept and basic backup manuals free online,
> tahiti.oracle.com among others. Read them!
>
> 10. For the issues you will have to overcome to retrain your brains
> from SS poison^H^H^H^H^H idiosyncracies, see books and online articles
> by Tom Kyte.
>
> 11. Mini-FAQ about this groups relative cdos and some resources at
> http://www.dbaoracle.net/readme-cdos.htm
>
> Welcome to our universe!

Thanks for the support - I really appreciate it.

>
> jg
> --
> _at_home.com is bogus.
> Looks like you'll have lots of help:
> http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jan/22/earns-microsoft-012209/?zIndex=41155
Received on Thu Jan 22 2009 - 11:28:33 CST

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