Microsoft releases software to challenege Oracle

Rob Updegrove 7 Nov, 2005 at 9:25am ET Article published in Tech

Reuters reports that Microsoft is releasing a new version of SQL Server, in an effort to present a serious challenege to Oracle’s market.

In order to promote the use of SQL Server and Visual Studio, Microsoft also said that it would offer free versions of the two programs for personal use so that individuals can create their own databases, Web sites and software programs.

Source: Reuters Technology

Comments

7 Nov 2005 ~ 11:09am QCH I wonder how this compares to MS Access? MS seems to make Access a Professional only Application and I know I would love a free and easy database application...

Downside, unless MS has done an outstanding job of securing their new version of SQL... hackers are gonna be in heaven.
9 Nov 2005 ~ 7:17pm airbornflght im downloading it shoot, its free.
9 Nov 2005 ~ 8:00pm primesuspect MSSQL is, and has always been, in a completely seperate league from Access. Access is actually just a front end for the MS Jet DB engine, which basically sucks. It's great for tiny apps, but that's about it.

MS SQL Server is an enterprise level database, while not quite on par with Oracle or dBase, been pretty close. As is the usual with Microsoft they get better and better with every version. Oracle is going to be facing a tough next couple of years with competition from open source (PostgreSQL and especially MySQL), and now to have a major commercial competitor will be even worse for them.

MSSQL is still way cheaper than Oracle.
10 Nov 2005 ~ 6:37am Tex

primesuspect wrote:

MSSQL is, and has always been, in a completely seperate league from Access. Access is actually just a front end for the MS Jet DB engine, which basically sucks. It's great for tiny apps, but that's about it.

MS SQL Server is an enterprise level database, while not quite on par with Oracle or dBase, been pretty close. As is the usual with Microsoft they get better and better with every version. Oracle is going to be facing a tough next couple of years with competition from open source (PostgreSQL and especially MySQL), and now to have a major commercial competitor will be even worse for them.

MSSQL is still way cheaper than Oracle.

Oracle will have to fight to keep its lead against MSSQL in the next few years...... but I would disagree that it has significant competition from Mysql in the enterprise market they own. In that market timely "support" for a mission critical type app is usually the deciding factor not purchase price.

Now for small buisness's with a few users where price is the number one concern sure.... But most big companies are not switching over to mysql over oracle. It scales up unbelievably well and is far more rock solid then I ever imagined and I started using oracle version 7 like seven or so years ago.

This is a smart move by MS to give away copies of sql server for "personal use". You can go download a full production version of Oracle now and have been for years. And not just their enterprise DB manager but also their app servers and GUI application dev tools like Developer and the forms and report server etc.. The fact they let you download and use/evaluate their full unlocked packages has been a huge boon to getting consultants and developers to use their products and evaluate new versions which they in turn push their clients into upgrading into. Its a win/win situation for everyone. No company with any smarts would build a Oracle app on a non licensed supported version of the database. Its just suicide. But to evaluate and test compatibility etc.. its a awesome deal.

Oracle 10g is so far ahead and easier to use and install they any previous version I have ever used especially on a unix/linux platform. I love Oracle 10g.

Tex
10 Nov 2005 ~ 9:40am primesuspect I disagree that the enterprise shuns MySQL. While I do agree that more established businesses in the financial, medical, and perhaps academic circles will still be married to Oracle for a long time, there are more flexible, and more modern industries that are willing to embrace open source on the enterprise level. I'm not inexperienced enough to think that price is a concern at this level, either. Nobody said enterprise would be using Linux a few years back, either.

I don't disagree that Oracle 10g is an awesome product. Anyone who has ever installed the mess that was Oracle 8 can attest to the vastly improved (from a support standpoint) new version

And yes, for anyone who never realized, you can definitely download full versions of all Oracle products, always have been. This is just a step by MS to try to compete in this arena.
11 Nov 2005 ~ 3:25am Tex

primesuspect wrote:

I don't disagree that Oracle 10g is an awesome product. Anyone who has ever installed the mess that was Oracle 8 can attest to the vastly improved (from a support standpoint) new version

You used to actually have to understand a little about how Oracle worked as there were a number of post installation tasks (even on windows) to get a running system that were mystical to new users

Now you can basicaly run the installation and get a running Oracle 10g DB in 20 minutes. Not a optimized setup but a running DB anyway

Oracle 7 and 8 was a pain on Windows and a nightmare on unix type box's. A install that phucked up was a pain to cleanup and restart etc..

Tex
11 Nov 2005 ~ 3:51am Shorty We use 9i running on AIX 5.2 where I work and it can get really messy, really fast. It's often down to how good your Oracle DBA's are.

The same can still be said for MSSQL installations. I've experienced that pain recently and It can still give me nightmares
11 Nov 2005 ~ 3:54am Tex done a few dozen of those on aix. Let me know if you have probs. I actually liked aix of the many unix variants I have used to be honest.

Tex

PS

Shorty what the heck happened to my sig anyway?
11 Nov 2005 ~ 4:00am Shorty Just sent ya a PM mate regarding that, Im gonna find out where it's gone!

AIX is very pleasant from my current learnings with it. Im crosstraining on it from Windows & Im quite taken with it. I must say that the IBM P-Series virtual I/O technology is damn solid for building out test environments & oracle runs a treat

The only question Id have is ways to improve the Oracle java application server that you can get (OC4J). That's a real hog.
11 Nov 2005 ~ 4:07am Tex Rob writes her apps in developer the Oracle GUI tool and they use the Oracle forms and reports server and the app server to deploy them.

Using developer for the apps they really could of lived without the app server and just used the forms and report server but.... dam consultants added another un-needed layer to fail they can support... (grin)

Tex
11 Nov 2005 ~ 4:11am Shorty Thats the OC4J mate. The oracle application server. Big ass nasty jvm thing

It's almost a requirement to use it as im sure there is a clause somewhere in the Oracle license agreement stating "you will bloody use it regardless of how much trouble it causes you!"

Damn consultants!

SQL+
11 Nov 2005 ~ 4:18am Tex To go 3 tier with a intranet and Oracle Developer the forms and report server used to be bundled with the Developer tool not the app server. They had 600 users usiing her apps and the forms/report server was a frigging celeron.

After the consultants got through they now have a app server, reports/forms server on a 4 cpu box and its marginally faster then before.... (grin)

And all for 80 grand!

they solved a problem that didnt exist.

Tex
11 Nov 2005 ~ 4:23am Tex

Shorty wrote:

SQL+

You need to download developer today and spend a couple days playing with it

Tex

HEY the sig is back! You want me to host that crap? I have a site with prime I can host it now myself.
11 Nov 2005 ~ 4:30am Shorty

Tex wrote:

To go 3 tier with a intranet and Oracle Developer the forms and report server used to be bundled with the Developer tool not the app server. They had 600 users usiing her apps and the forms/report server was a frigging celeron.

After the consultants got through they now have a app server, reports/forms server on a 4 cpu box and its marginally faster then before.... (grin)

And all for 80 grand!

they solved a problem that didnt exist.

Tex

But but but.. that's the answer isn't it..? Throw more tin at it until it's "faster"

I found the sig was hosted on my old ISP webspace but I moved house in January and it appears they have finally noticed.. aahahahah way to go NTL!

It's hosted at primes anyway, so don't worry. It'l probably be on the same server anyway
11 Nov 2005 ~ 4:39am Tex

Shorty wrote:

But but but.. that's the answer isn't it..? Throw more tin at it until it's "faster" )

Actually they thru 40 grand in hardware and 40 GRAND in consulting fees to make it VERY marginaly faster. As in 95 percent of the users see no differance.

Normal procedure. 80 grand to solve a problem that never existed in the first place

Tex
11 Nov 2005 ~ 11:52am Shorty

Tex wrote:

Actually they thru 40 grand in hardware and 40 GRAND in consulting fees to make it VERY marginaly faster. As in 95 percent of the users see no differance.

Normal procedure. 80 grand to solve a problem that never existed in the first place

Tex

Thats the enterprise way