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Have you ever read an eula? Have you ever heard of someone winning a lawsuit against a software vendor? Have you even heard of someone getting any kind of monet

by np422 14y ago

Have you ever read an eula? Have you ever heard of someone winning a lawsuit against a software vendor? Have you even heard of someone getting any kind of monetary compensation for mishaps caused by software bugs? The suing part is purely fictional.

potatolicious 14y ago
It's not about the lawsuits, but it is very much about risk reduction. This applies to all consultancies, not just Oracle. If you hand-roll your own solution for (almost) free using open source components, you're the one who gets fired when it goes down. If you buy an enterprise-level solution from Vendor XYZ, with a requisite expensive support contract, they fucked up when it goes down, and you are safe because goodness, who'd have thought an internationally renowned firm like Vendor XYZ would ever break? Besides, thanks to our expensive support contract, they're on top of it. Microsoft, Oracle, Accenture, they all share one thing in common: their product more CYA for middle managers than anything else. I have similar thoughts about management consulting - it's CYA for high-level execs. You rubber-stamp a risky move with a respected firm so that if the shit hits the fan the firm (and yourself) are insulated from the backlash.
- Apocryphon 14y ago
  And this is just going to continue with cloud services, isn't it? SAAS, PAAS, IAAS, etc.
  - pm90 14y ago
    What will remain then, I wonder? If you reduce a business to its absolute core value? Maybe the IP? A few intelligent people?
- enraged_camel 14y ago
  Yeah. They had a saying for this in the 80s and 90s: "No one ever got fired for buying IBM." Interesting reading here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt
- demallien 14y ago
  Yes. Just to finish off the argument for you (I think you already get this, just forgot to explicitly state it), not only would the programmer have to assume the risk in choosing postgres over Oracle, but she would typically also not get any share of the thousands of dollars she saved the company by so doing. It's all downside and no upside, so it's no surprise that many people opt for the vendor solution.
hkmurakami 14y ago
It's like the saying, "No one's ever gotten fired for buying IBM (either the stock, or their equipment)". It's safety for the middle manager who can point a finger when his boss comes screaming down the hall when the servers go down.

by np422 14y ago

potatolicious 14y ago

It's not about the lawsuits, but it is very much about risk reduction. This applies to all consultancies, not just Oracle. If you hand-roll your own solution for (almost) free using open source components, you're the one who gets fired when it goes down. If you buy an enterprise-level solution from Vendor XYZ, with a requisite expensive support contract, they fucked up when it goes down, and you are safe because goodness, who'd have thought an internationally renowned firm like Vendor XYZ would ever break? Besides, thanks to our expensive support contract, they're on top of it. Microsoft, Oracle, Accenture, they all share one thing in common: their product more CYA for middle managers than anything else. I have similar thoughts about management consulting - it's CYA for high-level execs. You rubber-stamp a risky move with a respected firm so that if the shit hits the fan the firm (and yourself) are insulated from the backlash.

Apocryphon 14y ago
And this is just going to continue with cloud services, isn't it? SAAS, PAAS, IAAS, etc.
- pm90 14y ago
  What will remain then, I wonder? If you reduce a business to its absolute core value? Maybe the IP? A few intelligent people?
enraged_camel 14y ago
Yeah. They had a saying for this in the 80s and 90s: "No one ever got fired for buying IBM." Interesting reading here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt
demallien 14y ago
Yes. Just to finish off the argument for you (I think you already get this, just forgot to explicitly state it), not only would the programmer have to assume the risk in choosing postgres over Oracle, but she would typically also not get any share of the thousands of dollars she saved the company by so doing. It's all downside and no upside, so it's no surprise that many people opt for the vendor solution.

hkmurakami 14y ago

It's like the saying, "No one's ever gotten fired for buying IBM (either the stock, or their equipment)". It's safety for the middle manager who can point a finger when his boss comes screaming down the hall when the servers go down.