Looking Through Oracle 8i's Eyes
NewsBytes
Friday, September 25, 1998 12:46PM
By Jennifer B Malapitan, Metropolitan Computer Times
PASIG CITY, PHILIPPINES, 1998 SEPT 25 (Newsbytes) via NewsEdge
Corporation - Oracle Corp. [NASDAQ:ORCL] is singing a new yet familiar tune
with Oracle 8i - with "i" standing for the Internet.
"You cannot argue with the Internet. Businesses are scrambling to find
technologies that would make it easier to build business applications on the
Internet," says Ken Jacobs, vice president for Data Server Marketing of the
Redwood Shores, CA company.
The executive, who heads the team which developed the Oracle database,
underscored the need for even small companies to build their applications in a
highly scalable environment in order to meet future demand. "Nobody knows if
you're small or big business once you're on the Internet. It is important that
your system can meet growth of demand, and that you can offer 24-hour
service; it's the global trend of conducting business," he added.
Exactly, these are issues that Oracle hopes to address with the 8i - not to
mention embedding the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) into the database itself.
JVM on the Database
While skeptics have occasionally cast doubts on the reliability of Sun's Java
to sustain enterprise quality applications, Oracle seems to have come up with
a solution: embed the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) into the database itself.
This move will once and for all put to rest the otherwise unpleasant perception
on Java as "write once, debug everywhere," says Jacobs. Java's real mantra
for the record is "write once, run anywhere."
Jacobs believes that this is the best way to make Java highly efficient
compared to the existing mode wherein a just-in-time compiler is used to call
Java from the application server. This process, according to the seasoned
techie, is nothing but a stop-gap measure.
What Oracle did in Oracle 8i is to compile down to the machine code or the
hardware platform which is understandable since both the database and the
JVM are now identical software and are, therefore, equally portable.
This is more efficient because it frees up memory from the client, at the same
time allowing higher integration capability with SQL (structured query
language).
Jacobs identified three programming models with the JVM now on the
database: the Java structured procedure, the use of Enterprise Java Beans
(EJB) 2.0, and CORBA 2.0. Additionally, he said there are two ways now to
access SQL, which is via Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) 2.0 driver or the
SQLJ 1.0 translator.
Expected Uptake
Debunking the perception that Oracle 8i is introduced to offset the rather slow
uptake of Oracle 8, Jacobs told Newsbytes that the new product is a result of
a three-year development period, not something they came out with overnight.
Jacobs disclosed that they currently have 130 global beta partners for the
product, which is scheduled for worldwide launch in a November time frame
this year. While this is not the biggest beta site test run for any Oracle
product at any given time, Jacobs notes that the quality of beta testers of 8i is
rather impressive as they are sites that are really "building products and
applications" across industries.
Jacobs said they expect the uptake of 8i to be fast, as customers have been
giving overwhelmingly positive feedback with regard to the new product. As to
the length of time from launch to actual picking up of sales, Jacobs prefers
not to give any estimate. "It takes a while from the point of acquisition to the
time the system goes on production, " he concluded.
Reported by Newsbytes News Network: newsbytes.com.
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