Re: 9iAS light version for forms/reports services only

Zafer <zafer_at_redshift.com> wrote in message news:<pan.2003.02.17.21.22.10.42539.18035_at_redshift.com>...
> Hi,
>
> I posted a question on OTN forms forum regarding the licensing issues for
> deploying 9i forms and/or reports via 9iAS enterprise edition (EE).
>
> Even if you are using forms/reports server 6i, you need to obtain
> an 9iAS EE license. This might be a CPU based or named user based, but
> still deployment of forms over the intranets/web is tied up to the 9iAS EE
> from the "licensing" point of view.
>
> The latest announcement from Oracle for pulling the extended support for
> client/server platform (forms 6i) to 2006 (from 2008) forced us to
> consider porting our client/server application to 9i. As you all know,
> there is no client/server support in 9i forms/reports. We accepted that
> fact but astonished when we learned how 9i forms/reports "deployment" is
> linked to 9iAS EE from the licensing point of view. There are white
> papers explaining how to strip the rest of the 9iAS EE just to use the
> forms/reports services part of it. But the problem is not the technical
> issues but the licensing. This is why I asked Oracle if it is possible
> (feasible) for them to market the forms/reports 9i as a separate product
> for development and deployment.
>
> Eventhough Oracle offers a 25% discount today (for 9iDS and 9iAS EE) to
> encourage us to migrate our applications from client/server to the web (or
> intranet), the licensing costs are preposterous - for us the developers to
> convince our project managers and our customers (who are only interested
> in the client/server) to purchase 9iAS EE licenses. I believe Oracle
> should come up with a light version of 9iAS just to deploy forms and
> reports services (and nothing else) at a reduced cost.
>
> Oracle did market reports as a stand alone product in the past and now
> they are marketing JDeveloper as a stand alone product. Why we should
> pay 5000 dollars for the entire iDS package if all we want to use is the
> forms and/or reports part of it? Why we need to purchase a full 9iAS EE
> license (CPU or named user) just to be able to deploy our forms and/or
> reports application? Isn't this absurd? We did accept that Oracle did quit
> in the middle of the game and stopped supporting client/server but
> forcing the 9iAS EE licensing down to our throats? I think it is
> unacceptable.
>
> Oracle might think that they only care for the enterprises who can afford
> puchasing 9iAS EE licenses, but we the small companies who still develops
> for the client/server and want to move to the intranet or web, can not
> afford it, and we need an alternative - cheaper solution for both
> development (upgrade to 9i forms without purchasing the entire iDS) and
> deployment (a light option for forms/reports 9i only -- not the rest of
> the 9iAS EE).
>
> Please update my posting on OTN (forms forum) regarding the licensing
> issue. Together, we might make Oracle listen, and make the forms/reports
> 9i a more affordable tool that can be used in the future not by the
> enterprises but by small companies as well.
>
> best regards.

I could not agree more. I feel that there is a gap in the market for reporting tools that run 'client server' and also run JSP/J2EE...that do not tie themselves into expensive App Servers (Oracle 9iAS, Weblogic etc). If such tools ran on any app server (e.g. Jakarta etc) then they would be very popular. I think there are one or two out there...but I am not sure they are such a good RAD tool as Oracle Reports9i.

Regards,
Paul. Received on Sat Mar 08 2003 - 23:48:24 CET