Re: Legacy Products
What oracle has done to be less of a commodity is reminiscent of Microsoft's Embrace, Extend, Extinguish. They have so much stuff that isn't SQL standard, that once they've enticed you into using any of their features, instead of using the database for a database and constructing proper business logic and services separately - in a maintainable and sustainable way, you're hosed.
It's like that time I fell for MS's Access for small biz, with EZ forms and (yuck) VB behind the forms. A beautiful billing system and tracking for my consultancy that made my tax accountant think I was a genius. Up and until I hit that limit on total records they set before you had to pay to upgrade - I was a new then and bought their book which suggested things like using punctuation and mixed cases in column names...and converting after that would have required a steep learning curve and a lot of writing of new sql-using software in some new language and leveraging some other report generator.
OK, my bad in part - but everyone has to have a first time, and these easy on ramps, are, as Admiral Akbar said "are a trap".
I've since learned how to do it right, and with any set of tools, or nearly, and would never buy into someone's lock in junk now...
And you know what? Guys like me often command a real nice pay rate once the word gets out that we set you up and then...you can maintain it yourself if required, as it's simple and documented, and if you need my support...it's mot going to be enough for a new yacht and an island to dock it at. Sometimes expensive once is a lot cheaper than it is over and over, and as Larry found out, a drip can fill his ocean - or empty yours.
I find it slightly rich that C# was done by MS after being sued for adding MS-only things to their Java, which is now owned by oracle...It would have been more fun had it been Larry suing them for breaking the rules - not that many times you can root for both sides...
Biting the hand that feeds IT
