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>>> Very very few of the top Tech firms use any Oracle software for atleast the last 10-12 years now. I think you missed the word "new" in there. Amazon finall

>>> Very very few of the top Tech firms use any Oracle software for atleast the last 10-12 years now. I think you missed the word "new" in there. Amazon finally is cutting ties with its Oracle DB this year. While I won't be surprised if AWS starts offering "migrate off Oracle" as a consulting service, Oracle was still the standard through the 2000s. I think they have built up so much negative goodwill though that no startup would ever consider using Oracle even if they gave the first five years away for free.

solatic 8y ago
> While I won't be surprised if AWS starts offering "migrate off Oracle" as a consulting service If AWS can offer a database that satisfies the Mongo API (DocumentDB), then why couldn't Amazon offer a database that satisfies the Oracle DB API, complete with automatic migration? The day that happens is the day Oracle stock goes straight in the toilet.
- tyingq 8y ago
  I suspect that would resurrect something like the Oracle vs Google lawsuit, where an API signature is somehow a thing you can copyright.
- godzillabrennus 8y ago
  Mongo was open source. They copied the api under that license. My understanding, and I’m not a lawyer so don’t consider this legal advice, is that you can’t copy a commercial api or it’s infringing on their intellectual property.
  - tyingq 8y ago
    The mongo example is a bit odd since the open source license was AGPL. Sounds like you can copy an AGPL API signature without releasing your own source?
  - Itaxpica 8y ago
    The copyrightability of APIs (specifically Oracle’s APIs, even!) is at the heart of a lengthy and still-ongoing legal battle, with several decisions in both directions.
  - alexis_fr 8y ago
    I thought the copyright law had an exemption for compatibility?
    - tyingq 8y ago
      See https://www.eff.org/cases/oracle-v-google https://www.eff.org/cases/oracle-v-google Oracle won the last round, Google asked the Supreme court to look at it in January. Guess we'll know some time soon.
- jerven 8y ago
  The "API" is doable. Being binary compatible is not at all. Oracle DB is complex because of historical choices (the patch picking, compatibility flags) etc... inbuilt JVM and PL/SQL. Those things that make working on OracleDB today difficult is what made it so dependable for people with money in the last 20 years. It also runs on a lot of architectures that today's software is not really running on anymore.
- pmart123 8y ago
  It would probably turn into the ultimate cigar butt stock though as long as they didn't keep spending money on crazy acquisitions and the stock fell 40% on the news. I would have to think so many organizations have random scripts, etc. that the risk vs. reward still won still be high er than you think, especially when say the CTO of JPMorgan's job depends on "knowing Oracle." Personally, I think IBM will likely crash and burn way before Oracle does.

solatic 8y ago

> While I won't be surprised if AWS starts offering "migrate off Oracle" as a consulting service If AWS can offer a database that satisfies the Mongo API (DocumentDB), then why couldn't Amazon offer a database that satisfies the Oracle DB API, complete with automatic migration? The day that happens is the day Oracle stock goes straight in the toilet.

tyingq 8y ago
I suspect that would resurrect something like the Oracle vs Google lawsuit, where an API signature is somehow a thing you can copyright.
godzillabrennus 8y ago
Mongo was open source. They copied the api under that license. My understanding, and I’m not a lawyer so don’t consider this legal advice, is that you can’t copy a commercial api or it’s infringing on their intellectual property.
- tyingq 8y ago
  The mongo example is a bit odd since the open source license was AGPL. Sounds like you can copy an AGPL API signature without releasing your own source?
- Itaxpica 8y ago
  The copyrightability of APIs (specifically Oracle’s APIs, even!) is at the heart of a lengthy and still-ongoing legal battle, with several decisions in both directions.
- alexis_fr 8y ago
  I thought the copyright law had an exemption for compatibility?
  - tyingq 8y ago
    See https://www.eff.org/cases/oracle-v-google https://www.eff.org/cases/oracle-v-google Oracle won the last round, Google asked the Supreme court to look at it in January. Guess we'll know some time soon.
jerven 8y ago
The "API" is doable. Being binary compatible is not at all. Oracle DB is complex because of historical choices (the patch picking, compatibility flags) etc... inbuilt JVM and PL/SQL. Those things that make working on OracleDB today difficult is what made it so dependable for people with money in the last 20 years. It also runs on a lot of architectures that today's software is not really running on anymore.
pmart123 8y ago
It would probably turn into the ultimate cigar butt stock though as long as they didn't keep spending money on crazy acquisitions and the stock fell 40% on the news. I would have to think so many organizations have random scripts, etc. that the risk vs. reward still won still be high er than you think, especially when say the CTO of JPMorgan's job depends on "knowing Oracle." Personally, I think IBM will likely crash and burn way before Oracle does.