News Article: "COLLISON COURSE SET AGAINST POWERSOFT"
Date: 12 Aug 1994 04:50:08 GMT
Message-ID: <32ev20$d46_at_dcsun4.us.oracle.com>
SUBJECT: COLLISION COURSE SET AGAINST POWERSOFT / ORACLE VAULTS INTO WINDOWS MARKET
SOURCE: CMP Publications via First! by INDIVIDUAL, Inc. DATE: August 10, 1994
INDEX: [3]
Computer Reseller News via First! -- Redwood Shores, Calif.
Oracle Corp. is increasing its commitment to Windows as a development platform by enhancing its CDE tools line with Windows-specific functions, raising the competitive stakes in a volatile market.
The move is an acknowledgment by the company that it needs to be a
strong
player in the Windows market, which has become the platform of choice for
client/server development. Currently, most of Oracle's revenue comes from
development from midrange platforms.
But it also will put Oracle-with its forms product-on a collision
course
with market leader Powersoft Corp., Burlington, Mass., as the ranks in
that
market dwindle. KnowledgeWare Inc., Atlanta, last week agreed to be
acquired
by Sterling Software Inc., Woodland Hills, Calif., in a deal valued at
$143
million. And Oracle's talks with beleaguered database and tools developer
Gupta Corp., Menlo Park, Calif., about a possible acquisition have cooled
down, leaving Gupta's future uncertain. One source familiar with those
talks
indicated the companies could not agree on a price.
Oracle's enhancements to its tools, including support for Microsoft
Corp.'s Object Linking and Embedding 2.0 and Visual Basic custom
controls,
or VBXs, are in Oracle Cooperative Development Environment 2.0, which
entered beta last week.
CDE
is a broad line of application development tools. CDE 2.0 is expectedto be unveiled at Oracle's user conference in September and ship this year,
said sources familiar with the plans.
The new functions should bring CDE into the realm of other Windows
products. Oracle, Redwood Shores, has been criticized for the low level
of
Windows support in the cross-platform CDE. "This is long overdue," said
Peggy Ledvina, program director at Meta Group Inc., Reston, Va. "This is
more 'Let's catch up to the rest of the market.' "
But the enhancements also could win Oracle new business if customers
and
VARs concerned by the difficulties of Gupta or KnowledgeWare begin to
evaluate Oracle tools, particularly Oracle Forms. Support for OLE, which
is
Microsoft's technology for swapping data between applications, will
simplify
the integration of Oracle databases and desktop applications, said Dale
Lowery, principal at the Washington-based consultancy and developer
CASEtech
Inc.
"From a desktop app, you might have some manager pulling down a range
of
data [from a database] and wanting to grind it through Excel or Lotus
[1-2-
3] and pop up some charts on the other side," Lowery said, a scenario
made
possible by adding OLE support.
Oracle officials declined to comment on the product plans.
- By TOM SMITH
[08-10-94 at 16:35 EDT, Copyright 1994, CMP Publications, Inc., File:
c0810000.3mp]
Copyright (c) 1994 by INDIVIDUAL, Inc. All rights reserved.
Kevin Mallory
Manager, Quality and Performance Programs
Oracle Forms Development
Received on Fri Aug 12 1994 - 06:50:08 CEST