• Registered: 2004-08-08
  • Posts: 508

Topic: Oracle

ORACLE UNVEILS FREE DATABASE ?ORACLE(r) DATABASE 10g EXPRESS EDITION 

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.   31-OCT-2005  Oracle today announced Oracle(r) Database 10g Express Edition (Oracle Database XE), a free, starter edition of the world's leading database software. A beta version of Oracle Database XE is available for download today.

This new edition of Oracle Database 10g offers application developers, database administrators (DBAs) and students a free starter database to develop and deploy their applications. It is also freely available for independent software vendors (ISVs) and hardware vendors to distribute or embed with their applications and products.

"Oracle Database XE allows developers, DBAs, ISVs and students the opportunity to learn, develop and deploy on the world's leading database software, at no cost," said Thomas Kyte, vice president, Oracle. "No one has to make do anymore; everyone can now start with the best."

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  • Frank H
  • Former PunBB Developer
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  • Registered: 2003-03-16
  • Posts: 1,423

Re: Oracle

hehe ... suppose they've seen how popular mysql has become ... and want a piece of it wink

3 Reply by Benny

  • Benny
  • Senior Member
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  • From: Israel, Ashdod
  • Registered: 2004-11-30
  • Posts: 271

Re: Oracle

lol

Yours, Benny.

4 Reply by hcgtv

  • hcgtv
  • hcgtv
  • Senior Member
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  • From: Charlotte, NC
  • Registered: 2004-06-25
  • Posts: 1,991

Re: Oracle

Open Source is making evryone rethink their closed source mentality.

PHPCrossRef . TXP Make . TXP Themes . TXP Tags . TXP Planet . We Love TXP

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  • Frank H
  • Former PunBB Developer
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  • Registered: 2003-03-16
  • Posts: 1,423

Re: Oracle

but they aren't releasing their source, are they?

just putting it out free, right?

6 Reply by zaher

  • zaher
  • Senior Member
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  • From: Syria, Damascus
  • Registered: 2004-02-16
  • Posts: 773

Re: Oracle

Bad news for me, I use Firebird but when my customer ask me why i use it, i say: Because it is free sad

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applic … 152,00.htm

If your people come crazy, you will not need to your mind any more.
  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2001-11-02
  • Posts: 9,167

Re: Oracle

Now, if only they could add limit/offset support, the world would be a better place.

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

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  • From: Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Registered: 2002-05-27
  • Posts: 222

Re: Oracle

Rickard wrote:

Now, if only they could add limit/offset support, the world would be a better place.

Why not just stick with the standards (ANSI-SQL has no LIMIT) so we don't have to write different queries for each database :-)
That being set I think the Oracle offering is a sales tool to counter the "MySQL is free" argument, in reality most enterprises will opt for the supported commertial version for anything critical. Having a free version allows them to show that you can get Oracle for free just as MySQL or MSSQL, but you should buy the commertial version so you get support in case anything happens. Which makes sense for enterprises where downtime equals money.

  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2001-11-02
  • Posts: 9,167

Re: Oracle

CodeDuck wrote:

Why not just stick with the standards (ANSI-SQL has no LIMIT) so we don't have to write different queries for each database :-)

Well, the standard recommends that we use a window function (ROW_NUMBER() OVER), but that is only available in Oracle and DB2, so we're screwed either way. A last resort is of course to use a cursor, but that usually brings with it a rather noticeable performance penalty. In my opinion, LIMIT/OFFSET is by far the most convenient and obvious way of doing this. Why the enterprise DB servers do not support is is beyond me (it's not like they are 100% ANSI-SQL compatible anyway).

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

Rickard's Website

  • From: Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Registered: 2002-05-27
  • Posts: 222

Re: Oracle

Rickard wrote:

Well, the standard recommends that we use a window function (ROW_NUMBER() OVER), but that is only available in Oracle and DB2, so we're screwed either way.

Don't forget Microsoft SQL-server. To me it looks like MySQL (and PostgreSQL) are the ones that should try to catch up and follow the standard, Oracle, IBM and Microsoft are the three largest players in the db market.
Extending a standard can be fine if what you need is not in the standard, but implementing an alternative solution and not the standard is wrong.

  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2001-11-02
  • Posts: 9,167

Re: Oracle

CodeDuck wrote:

Don't forget Microsoft SQL-server.

You must be talking about SQL Server 2005 then, but last time I checked, that version has yet to be released.

CodeDuck wrote:

Oracle, IBM and Microsoft are the three largest players in the db market.

In the enterprise market, yes.

CodeDuck wrote:

Extending a standard can be fine if what you need is not in the standard, but implementing an alternative solution and not the standard is wrong.

Must... resist... urge.. to mention Internet Explorer! big_smile

No, but honestly, I agree. However, when the proposed solution in the standard is borderline moronic, I do think certain deviations can be forgiven. Maybe it's just me, but isn't

SELECT columns
FROM tablename
ORDER BY key ASC
LIMIT n OFFSET skip

a lot prettier than

SELECT * FROM (
  SELECT
    ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY key ASC) AS rownum,
    columns
  FROM tablename
) AS foo
WHERE rownum > skip AND rownum <= (n+skip)

This is of course a stupid debate because there are situations where MySQL and/or PostgreSQL support the standard when SQL Server, Oracle etc do not. I think we can all agree on:

Deviating from the standard == bad
A standard that promotes a complex way of solving a simple problem == bad
Arguing on the Internet...

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

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