As somebody that works in the industry, I can tell you that Oracle is probably the strongest that it has ever been from a database perspective. Not a single client we have (Fortune 500 companies) would now choose Sybase or Informix over Oracle as their strategic database vendor, something that wasn't necessarily true even a year ago. Microsoft could potentially present Oracle with some real competition in the future, but since SQL server is far less strategic than the web, Microsoft will probably not focus on Oracle for a while.
Although I don't always agree with Ellison's statements, I think he is right on the mark with the following: That the notion that the database market is saturated is a "bizzare" notion. I would say that the DB market is far less saturated than the PC market, for example, yet Intel, Microsoft, Dell, Compaq, etc. still see no slowdown in growth. I question the clarity of those analysts who think that once you buy a database then thats all you will ever need. That's like saying that my old 486 running Windows 3.1 is all I ever needed. Bizzare!!!
As for the stock price flucuations, thats just the way it goes. Those who are long for the long-term need not fear, in my opinion... |
