Re: Desperately looking for Oracle 7.2.3!!

From: rich p <richg73p_at_gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 10:47:00 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <cf5b8d08-8926-45bc-9671-dae61066461d_at_glegroupsg2000goo.googlegroups.com>



Gerard says:
> There is no way that apex - or anything like it - could replace even the most simple Forms application.

Ummm... how about the -current- release of Forms? (Fusion Middleware, 10g and up...)

I suppose there is enough expertise in the _other_ thousands of technology options out there to suggest your own remark? oops, I forgot this was the Internet where everyone is an expert and does not have to furnish credentials, references or even evidence before they post an opinion... anyways, the advice can be taken or ignored.

... for the rest of us, you are invited to read on ...

Oracle also has an automated migration utility to get a Forms 3.0 (which is actually an Oracle 6 product) application upgraded to the Oracle 10g platform. If complexity is a real concern, then yes, you can also _purchase_ the 10g database and the Forms product along with the extra expense of the App Server product (which still cannot be deployed without it), plus the additional requirement to find resources with deep enough J2EE experience to handle any post-migration user-interface tweaks required to be made on this Fusion Middleware product.

So this whole reversion back to Oracle 7 to rescue a dying server seems like an almost non-issue. Migrate with the rest of the 21st century. If your app is too complex to port to APEX, you _can_ keep it in Forms. Oracle has also released a statement of direction encouraging developers to keep using the product and they also stand behind its longevity (at the moment). Either the OP posted early in his fact-finding research, or his organization would rather risk breaking software licensing laws with a pirated, de-supported bootleg of Oracle 7.

Just be aware that Forms has turned into a completely different animal since Forms version 3:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_Forms

It's web based, and they have moved to a J2EE architecture.

I neglected to mention that I have _already_ seen and developed Oracle Financials forms (which I suspect are also created from the same Form developer suite)... I do not see what all the fuss is about. Forms, especially the version 3 variety (which I took some time to look at as well), looks a lot more primitive than most of its web based cousins.

If you're faced with a dead server and a handful of backup files representing your Oracle Forms source code and the data from the original back-end database, it's not a lost cause. There _are_ automated migration paths both within the same product line, or outside of it. If your app was smaller I'd suggest convincing management to scrap it and try a redesign using a more career-enhancing, progressive technology and platform. But if you're faced with THOUSANDS of Oracle Forms, the automated approach (either to Forms Fusion or to APEX) would probably be the better fast-track and it would at least give you an idea of what next-steps would be more viable.

After writing this, I realize I have been trolled, but the advice may be helpful for the rest of the readers out there. Good Luck.

Rich Pascual Received on Sun May 29 2011 - 12:47:00 CDT

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