Re: Database for gnome

[Charles Shannon Hendrix <shendrix escape widomaker com>]

In message <19980207222128.25682.qmail@xiombarg.urmane.org>, Urmane Hendrake wr
ites:

> I just started reading the description of Oracle's Web Application Server/
> WebServer/whatever (not sure where one product ends and another
> begins), and Oracle has apparently implemented their own ORB, a number
> of CORBA services - Log, Transaction, Authentication - their own
> protocol called Media Net, built on top of UDP, etc.  One is, supposedly,
> able to make application Cartridges that plug into ... well, somewhere,
> I'm sure.  The dox are slightly difficult to wrap my brain around.
> 
> The idea is, apparently, to be able to do all kinds of Corba stuff through
> your web browser.  I'm still reading.

I have been to a couple of Oracle conferences/seminars and they talk
about that stuff.  The cartridge thing sounds nice, but its hard
to get them to tell you what compilers are supported and all that.

After seeing their own NT boxes die under the load of a _DEMO_ I was
not impressed.

They had CORBA in there but it seemed to be wrapped up in a proprietary
interface.  It seemed to be something that made their work easier but
if you want access, you still have to buy some piece from them.

It was like CORBA was their internal, not external, interface between
components.  In almost the same sentence they said sqlnet pushed all of
it so who knows for sure.

The version of Developer they had required Visual C++ to build cartridges
and my question about a UNIX version was impressively deflected.
But they did say a UNIX version that would allow compiling with gcc or
the vendor's C compiler would be ready real soon.  Talk about tap-dancing;
those guys were the best.

CORBA doesn't garantee access anyway.  Its perfectly sensible to make
a portion of your data be a license key which means that even with
CORBA doing the work, you have to be licensed to have access.  I think
that is damn stupid, but that was what I got out of the presentation.
For a corporate client they have the benefit of getting new stuff
running and don't mind paying for it.  Adding CORBA makes it all buzzword
compliant too.  Also, it is in Oracles best interest to make CORBA access
proprietary so they can charge you for what should be free.

Oracle called me at work to ask what I thought of the presentation... and
I guess you could say I was _brutally_ honest about it.  He said they
would address my concerns.  Oracle's answer to me was a folder via
FedEx with all the brochures from the conference.  I'm sure glad they
are around to support my software development efforts... :) :) :)

Gnome is going to work out because we have better free alternatives
that should be able to support CORBA better, at least for our purposes.
But it is still important to be able to access things like Oracle.
We might get the Oracle 8 upgrade at work and maybe I'll see how well
a non-Oracle client can access data.

I'm a skeptic at the moment.  I keep trying to get clarification from
Oracle but they seem to not care once they find out I'm not running on
NT with an IIS server and Developer/Designer 2000.