its easier to rant to get quoted than it is to do some research (Oracle Patching)

This person has obviously never applied a one off fix for Oracle on Linux. I counted no less than 334 patches for Oracle 10g R1 10.1.0.4 from a search on Metalink.
Fixes get created more than once a quarter. I guess that a "security blog peruser" just skims the surface looking for quotes.

from this article: *Security Blog Log: Oracle makes Microsoft look good * By Bill Brenner <bbrenner_at_techtarget.com> 20 Jan 2006 | SearchOracle.com
<http://searchoracle.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid41_gci1161076,00.html?track=NL-94&ad=541204>
http://searchoracle.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid41_gci1161076,00.html?track=NL+94&ad=541204

"While Microsoft has a monthly process, he said, "Once in a blue moon [Oracle] comes out with so many patches it is difficult to count them. One such time was this week. Putting Oracle's ability aside for a moment, I would like to just tell Oracle one thing: A THOUSAND PATCHES RELEASED AT ONCE IS HORRIBLE, GET A GRIP!"" IMHO:
<a relatively large number of patches> released at once as a
regression-tested set is far more preferable to me if I'm trying to schedule maintenance windows around month-end/quarter-end/year-end closes, etc.

I tend to agree with this gentleman:
"At least with a quarterly process you know when the next release is coming and you can schedule the deployment work well ahead of time," Nirnay Patil, DBA for Boston-based wireless communications provider American Tower Corp., said at the time. "You can work out the manpower issues and all that. And when the patches come out, there's time to test things more carefully."

Paul

By the way:

• Notice* *Scheduled Downtime : Network Outage on Jan 20th and Jan 27th*

Patch Downloads will be unavailable due to maintenance starting from 6:00 PM (PDT) on Friday, January 20th until 12.00 PM (PDT) Saturday, January 21st and again from 6:00 PM (PDT) on Friday, January 27th until 6:00 PM (PDT) on Saturday, January 28th.

You will not be able to download any patches during the outage ! Therefore, if you have any planned patch associated tasks, we strongly encourage you to schedule them for completion prior to this outage. However, in case of emergency, you can contact Oracle
Support<http://www.oracle.com/support/contact.html>for patch delivery during this downtime.

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