Re: OCI libraries for Linux

["Emil Hahn Pedersen" <ehp_at_ramboll.dk>]
|
| I'm getting kind'a tired of all this Linux/Oracle business. It might
| very well be that Linux in number of installed platforms are larger
| than NT. But let me ask you how do you actually count the number of
| installed Linux platforms? My guess is that the typically Linux
| installation is not corporate but domestic for testing and learning
| purpose, which is excellent - but I do not think you can demand that
| Oracle take this platform seriously. I mean, as a corporate user who
| do you hold responsible for certain errors/problems that might arise
| during use?

you are partially right and partially wrong. let me start with where you are right.

I agree that a large portion of the installed Linux base is for "domestic use" and that the numbers are, to say the least, very unreliable.

now over to where I don't agree. I do not agree that Linux being free is a problem since there are many companies who deliver support for Linux. I don't know if Caldera and Red Hat Software are in the site-dupport business, but I would guess they can offer just as good support (if not better) than Microsoft.

as for third-party companies providing support, I work in one and we do have competitors. our advantage (and our competitors advantage) is that we have people who know the internals of Linux and if a problem arises we can fix it. if a problem arises in Mirosoft products you have to wait until the next service-pack comes out. if you are lucky.

other than that, the Linux development and bug-fixing is pretty rapid. if a problem is reported it is usually fixed shortly after. name one commercial OS that can boast this.

as a manager I would chose a solution where my support-contractor can actually remedy problems. not just report them back to the programmers and say "sorry, there is no fix".

as for Linux usage in the corporate world; it is there and it is still coming. a lot of places Linux is being used as glue to make systems talk to each other or for software development since it is relatively easy to write portable software on Linux. (compare this to software written by users on commercial OS'es where porting might become cumbersome because the documentation mentions non-standard mecanisms without emphasizing portability).

I have also seen Linux being used to turn PC's into powerful UNIX workstations. you have all the benefits of X-terminals plus local computing power and disk space for experimentation or "non-standard" software at a fraction of the price. name one system that is able to provide you with this.

also, academic institutions are using Linux more and more. not only for educational purposes, but also to replace traditional UNIX workstations. why? because they are cheaper, faster, more stable and offer more functionality.

you have to be aware that people aren't choosing Linux _just_ because it is cheap or free. many people choose it because it covers their needs better than other alternatives. and I am not speaking about just "domestic use".

if you look back at the origins of UNIX you will find that UNIX too was something that first came into use because of "idealists" and tinkerers.

| I'm sure Oracle would recognize Linux if they considered the
| platform to have earning potential.

if they released Oracle for Linux and priced it like Oracle for NT I think the market is there. at least I think they should release it and allow for a market to grow as people gain confidence. Linux is growing and commercial businesses are making more and more use of it.

| You and I cannot disagree upon the fact that Linux is an excellent
| product, and great fun to use hence the availabity of sourcecodes,
| price etc. but I do not consider its distribution and support
| network to be satisfactory for professional use.

let me ask you; have you used Linux profesionally or do you know of any company that does? have you ever run a heterogenous UNIX site and had the opportunity to measure how much time you spend on each platform just to keep the machines happy?

I've been using IRIX, Solaris, SunOS 4, AIX, Digital UNIX (OSF/1) for years. (and earlier I used Ultrix, Dolphin OS, Windows, CP/M and Zebra). I've had the liberty of choosing what I wished to work on and for the last 12 months I have found myself retreating to Linux more and more because it works and it is stable (and because it is faster).

it has nothing to do with price or even "religion". I just want to get the job done so I can go read a book and live a life. right now I have to develop Oracle applications on an operating system that doesn't give me the proper tools for debugging and it is taking days instead of minutes to figure out what the OCI-libraries are doing.

on Linux "strace" is already installed and it has helped me to nail bugs or even understand what programs are trying to do many times. on the current platform I use for Oracle I haven't found anything yet, and if I want it I probably have to write it myself or take the trouble of finding a tool and buying it. meanwhile the customer has to pay for me to chase bugs around the system since NONE of the error messages from OCI have proved to report the actual error.

please note that I don't mean to insult you, but I do tend to become frustrated by the prejudices that Linux is often victim of. I think Linux is getting unfair treatment due to the fact that a lot of people are religous about OSes. (after reading my own posting once more I wouldn't be surprised if people thought me to be religous about Linux).

-Bjørn

-- 
 Bjørn Borud <borud_at_guardian.no>       | "The Net interprets censorship 
 <URL:http://www.pvv.unit.no/~borud/>  | as damage and routes around it."
 UNIX person, one of "them"            |         - John Gilmore