Re: The demise of the Oracle professional?

Nuno,

although respecting your opinion, I must disagree with one point in it:

> Correction. It used to be so at the high of the Java craze. Nowadays,
> Oracle doesn't even encourage people anymore to run Java inside the
> RDBMS. It's not worth it.

They don't. They may be discouraging running EJBs inside the RDBMS, along with servlets, JSPs and whatever else is there with the letter J in it, but that does not mean they discourage using Java inside the RDBMS altogether. Java extends Oracle programmer's capability to do various things in the database he couldn't dream of without it, and keeps his efforts highly portable (just like PL/SQL - you write it once, and it works everywhere). Of course, I would discourage anyone from running EJBs and any other heavy Java-based things inside the RDBMS - it's just not supposed to support that, it's not designed as the application server or an ORB - it's a database after all. But I see no evil in having another option to write portable code that does what I need it to. Without Java inside Oracle I would be unable to have one portable solution to send out email, for example, or to manipulate binary files on OS level (with proper security in place), or communicate over the network with HTTP or FTP servers, or do regexp, and a lot of other things - or I would have to write that in C and then port to every OS out there that Oracle supports. Now I can write it once, and it will run everywhere exactly the same. Just like PL/SQL. Java does not replace PL/SQL (and never will), it extends it and gives me, the developer, more freedom to do things I want, and it does not tax me with portability issues. I am database-centric and tend to put as much work as I can into the database, close to the data. I don't want to implement the same business rule in a dozen different clients on different platforms and then keep it in sync - I tend to do it once and make available via any means possible, be it thin or thick client, web browser, etc. I code it once, and it works for all. I'm not using Java to do what I can do in PL/SQL or SQL - Java is not suited for that. I use Java to do what I can't in SQL and PL/SQL. That's the only reasonable use for Java inside Oracle I see - but it well justifies its existence.

-- 
Vladimir Zakharychev (bob@dpsp-yes.com)                http://www.dpsp-yes.com
Dynamic PSP(tm) - the first true RAD toolkit for Oracle-based internet applications.
All opinions are mine and do not necessarily go in line with those of my employer.