Re: Is Oracle deliberately difficult?

On Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:16:25 +0100, Sid_James <sid.james_at_virgin.net> wrote:

>I've been learning Oracle for a while now and I do think of it as quite
>challenging in an enjoyable way. I don't use Enterprise Manager, I'd
>rather get to to know the 'nuts and bolts'.

Laudable.

> However, having done a SQL
>Server administrator's course, I can't help thinking that Oracle is
>rather more difficult to use than maybe it should be.
>

Why? Because ORACLE has much more database specific parametrization? You see, the problem with all these "me-too" relational database products such as S*S and many others, is that they started out as NOT-a-database products. Then they saw the success of ORACLE as a pure RDBMS, so they decided to go "me-too". They still don't have nowhere the flexibility of a properly designed RDBMS. Which ORACLE always had.

I'm reminded here of "database" products such as DBase and such: they were NEVER database products. Just sophisticated data editors. You see, "databases" have existed for a LOT more than 20 years. They used to be based on the Codasyl standards (and some not even that). Then ORACLE was the first with a true database engine based on relational technology. Suddenly, anyone writing a data editor claimed to be "relational". We saw along the years who really was kosher, didn't we?

Then along came Miscrosoft with their usual "we invented everything" approach. Of course, as usual, they picked some other product and re-badged it. Unfortunately, (or fortunately!) they knew squat about databases, so they picked on the worse product they could have picked: Sybase. Took them a long time to fix it, nealy twelve years now. And now they want to convince everybody that a one-size fits all solution is the only solution. Hopeless...

>Sensible, rational responses that shoot me up in flames are always
>preferable!
>

Nah! You're asking too much, now then!

Cheers
Nuno Souto
nsouto_at_nsw.bigpond.net.au.nospam
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/the_Den/index.html Received on Tue Aug 29 2000 - 05:28:13 CDT