RE: Why is Oracle unaffordable?
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 11:06:18 -0800
Message-ID: <C5671700C5F4EA47B08AB9E6DAE9539B3B7B70A365_at_M1EXCHANGE01.mmi.local>
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_at_freelists.org [mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Goulet, Richard
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 6:51 AM
To: RP Khare; oracle-l_at_freelists.org
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_at_hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 9:20 AM
To: Goulet, Richard; oracle-l_at_freelists.org 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_at_parexel.com
To: passionate_programmer_at_hotmail.com; oracle-l_at_freelists.org 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_at_freelists.org [mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of RP Khare Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 4:31 AM
To: oracle-l_at_freelists.org
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.
-- http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-lReceived on Mon Nov 08 2010 - 13:06:18 CST