Accessing ORACLE via Windows Front End

We are in the initial stages of developing a client server product that will access an ORACLE7 database from MS Windows over a wide area network running TCP/IP. We may use Powerbuilder to develop the application, but that is not a certainty.

I have several questions regarding connecting to an ORACLE database from MS WIndows:

Is SQL*Net REQUIRED to provide connectivity to the ORACLE database or are there other drivers available to provide the link? Better yet, what all is required to connect to ORACLE on the back end? We would like to avoid ODBC for various reasons, of which performance and stability are two.

Also, we are interested in possibly using Borland Delphi. Borland claims to provide all of the drivers necessary to connect to ORACLE. Is this via ODBC and/or IDAPI? Does this eliminate the need for SQL*Net on the client PC, and, if so, why don't other vendors provide this kind of solution? We want to avoid bloating our customer's PCs with tons of software, if possible.

Thanks,

Allen

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Allen Shatzer                               email: ashatzer_at_cda.com   
Programmer/Analyst       
CDA Investment Technologies
Rockville, MD USA