RE: Why is Oracle unaffordable?

Sql*server is "nice", but it doesn't have a lot of the fault tolerance and 
features of Oracle.


Can you expand on this idea? what fault tolerant features distinguish the two?

From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
Behalf Of Goulet, Richard
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 6:51 AM
To: RP Khare; oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Why is Oracle unaffordable?

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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