Re: Oracle 8 is OODB?

Hi,
In my view, Oracle8 is as far from OO as it is from being a CODASYL database. It has some aspects, but that's it. It misses all what makes OO easier to handle and for developers to make fewer mistakes which yields more safe programs. You can't use inheritance, that's true - but with that comes virtual functions, constructors, seriables etc. Further more, operator definitions is not supported either, making it impossible to for instance define what the operator + does to your classes. Some ppl considers this "advanced but not required" but this is what makes templates work, so less advanced developers can make very advanced programming using simple approaches based upon an advanced model.

As I understand, Oracle is mainly considering Java on it's 8.1 platform. But then again, Java has all of this. So maybe ... if we're lucky. I was disappointed the first time I saw Oracle8 ... that's for sure. But again, I missed alot when I saw Oracle7 for the first time too ... and it took until 7.3 to get all the niet features like autoextend in there ... so there is hope ... FOR THE FUTURE ... it just takes time it seems.

When this negative thing is said, I must state that I'm glad that Oracle kept on the Relational part as a future supportive thing and didn't bring on a new version of the database only for OODB. Being able to do both is a strength ... even though I didn't see that in the beginning.

• Peter H. Larsen Oracle Consultant

David wrote:

> 8.0 conform 3 out of the 4 main requirements for Object Relational
> Databases, but is missing inheritence, it looks like 8.1 will support this
> via PL/SQL and Java. Rememeber the client cache vastly increases the Object
> features.
>
> Regard
> David Ng wrote in message <6la73b$btj$1_at_m5.att.net.hk>...
> >Hay,
> >
> >Be real. It is not OO and that is why they call it Object-Relational. In
> >my mind, the most significant enhancement is the introduction of user
> >defined data structure. ( What you can get in Pascal or Cobol ).
> >
> >
> >David
> >
> >Manmeet S. Virdi wrote in message <356A0837.C92DCCED_at_bellatlantic.net>...
> >>Does anyone know if Oracle 8 so claimed to be OO really works.. and how
> >>does it work?
> >>How about Oracle 8.1? any news on that?
> >>
> >>--
> >>-------------------------------------------
> >>Manmeet S. Virdi
> >>mvirdi_at_lucent.com
> >>-------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
Received on Wed Jun 10 1998 - 16:06:47 CDT