RE: Why is Oracle unaffordable?

  • From: "Goulet, Richard" <Richard.Goulet@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "RP Khare" <passionate_programmer@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 09:51:25 -0500

Rohit,
 
    It has been used for that purpose too, matter of fact I don't think
that any current db hasn't been tried as an embedded db at one time or
the other.  Some worked well in a particular application some didn't.
Depends on your definition of "works well".  Personally I would not use
Oracle as an embedded DB.
 
    On the other hand, what Oracle costs has been debated for a number
of years.  Oracle XE is the latest response to that complaint and I
think it is very well received in the market place, like Microsoft
SQL*Server CE.  As for having a "high paid" dba around to maintain
Oracle, you might get away without having one, but you should have
someone you can call on when Murphy strikes.  Seems we had a similar
situation with a SQL*Server install on a "retired" desktop the other
day, expanded the transaction log to the point where the available space
on the disk drive was zero.  As the boss says, anyone can run setup.
 
    
 

Dick Goulet 
Senior Oracle DBA 

 

________________________________

From: RP Khare [mailto:passionate_programmer@xxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 9:20 AM
To: Goulet, Richard; oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Why is Oracle unaffordable?


Dick,


What about BerkelyDB? I think it is meant to be an embedded DB?



________________________________

Subject: RE: Why is Oracle unaffordable?
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 09:14:09 -0500
From: Richard.Goulet@xxxxxxxxxxx
To: passionate_programmer@xxxxxxxxxxx; oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx


Rohit,
 
    There is an old saying that "one gets what one pays for".  That goes
for database software as well.  Sql*server is "nice", but it doesn't
have a lot of the fault tolerance and features of Oracle.  MySql is a
toy that got promoted to something it was never designed for.  BerkelyDB
is similar, it was designed for small projects, but then got promoted to
larger things.  DB2 and Oracle are "similar" in robustness though
feature sets are different as well as packaging.  PostgreSql is
somewhere between Oracle and SQL*Server, though a lot closer to Oracle.
 
    The bottom line is that a db is dependant on what you the developer
want.  If your looking for an imbedded DB, then I suggest you try a
Google search, or possibly a visit to your local bookstore.   I will
agree that as an embedded db Oracle is a poor choice and there are a
number of better ones out there, but many lack the recoverability,
flexibility, and possibly ACID compliance of Oracle, but then maybe you
don't need that.  We have one application designed to reside on a laptop
that uses the Java Based Apache Derby database which is open source.
Fits nicely on a 8GB memory stick.
 
Dick Goulet 
Senior Oracle DBA 

 

________________________________

From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of RP Khare
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 4:31 AM
To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Why is Oracle unaffordable?


Hi,

I don't want to initiate a religious war. I have been using MySQL since
last two years in production environment. I used SQL Server Express and
Oracle Express before. I have no complaints with either of the
databases, except that Oracle is over expensive and the architecture is
unnecessarily complicated. I want to know whether the complexity of the
Oracle architecture and its ever demanding need for a dedicated DBA is
worth paying or not.  If you are an Oracle disciple, I don't want to
hurt you and my views here are totally unbiased.

I need an embedded database for a shrink-wrapped application. I looked
around for the alternatives. I read about SQL Server CE, SQL Anywhere
and BerkleyDB. I want to try BerkleyDB, but the prices are too high. You
could afford and enterprise class IBM DB2 or Sybase Adaptive Server or
SQL Server with a far lesser amount.


Oracle is a good product but it is beyond the reach of customers other
than big giants who pump in too much money just to keep those DBAs
happy, who sit around that black dump command line screen. Why it can't
be GUI and simple and affordable? 


...............
Rohit.










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