Oracle and Open Source Agitation
December 9, 2010
At a conference in London on December 3, 2010, I posed a question to a panel of content processing CEOs. I asked, “Isn’t open source going to put more pressure on firms with proprietary software and systems.” The answers were cautiously phrased. The advantage of open source is that it appears to be “free”. But proprietary software comes with the backing of a big company, not a rag tag crowd of volunteer developers.
I was a well behaved moderator, and I did not fire back with the advantages of open source software, nor did I take issue with the measured comments of the panelists. I had read “Oracle’s Open Source Missteps Continue with Hudson Project”. I knew that Oracle was wheeling more armored vehicles into its battle with open source software. If my panelists were not worried, those folks did not see the world exactly as Larry Ellison and his senior executives perceive it. Like I said, I was a good, chubby moderator. However, I will be one Estonian kroner that Mark Hurd gets with the Oracle open source program.
What’s the latest weaponry look like? Here’s the write up’s take”:
…an Oracle email notifying Hudson users and developers of this migration was not received as the sender was not subscribed to the mailing lists in question. As a result, Hudson developers have been locked out of the mailing lists and unable to access or update the source code for more than a week.
Is this shaped information? Is this an attempt to wrest control of the Hudson Project from the open source community?
I don’t know, but if open source is no big deal as the content processing execs told me, does Oracle know something other software company presidents don’t know?
Oracle seems to be taking increasingly contentious positions with regard to open source. My money is on Oracle’s perception of open source. After all if MySQL, Java, and the Hudson Project were irrelevant, why waste the time and PR brownie points?
This open source software warrants continued observation. Perhaps the folks reassuring me were putting on their game faces, keeping the inner concerns under wraps?
Stephen E Arnold, December 9, 2010
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SAP: Will Technology Renew the Company?
December 6, 2010
My view: Nope.
Bloomberg’s “SAP’s Hana Speeds the Database Race” describes in a quite accepting way talk from Oracle’s chief technical officer about “technology renewing Oracle.”
The Johnny Appleseed product is a big honking appliance that is chock full of RAM. The idea is to put lots of data in memory and get outputs really fast. Now I have heard this type of claim before. You will want to read the article and make up your own mind. Just don’t forget to ask about the cost of the appliance. My code words for really expensive, as you may know, is “big honking.”
Here’s an interesting passage from the Bloomberg, let’s believe everything a big company tells us story:
Users can run calculations from computers that include Apple’s (AAPL) iPad and see tables and charts containing their data, fed over the Internet, from servers running SAP programs. “You can process a staggering number of records and get transformational kinds of results,” says Jim Shepherd, an analyst at Gartner (IT). “An analysis that might have taken 30 minutes with conventional technology you can now do in seconds, or sub seconds. It changes the whole character of the decision-making process.”
There you have it. The truth delivered from a mid tier consulting firm. When I read the passage, I glanced at the nearest mountain to see if there were a consultant with two iPads containing the “truth”. The mountain did not seem to have either consultants or iPads. Make up your own mind about these pronouncements, please.
Several observations:
- Big data is a big problem and throwing hardware at engineering developed with 1950 traffic planning in mind won’t do the job in my experience.
- Appliances are becoming a problem. Each is different, so there are management costs involved. These big honkers are not toasters. Think headcount and the need for redundancy.
- Access to big data is not going to be improved as long as the traditional query methods are used. The future, in my opinion, is a search type of interface. In case you have not been in touch with planet earth’s business intelligence community for a while, these folks are not embracing hard core programming the way their kids are adopting their smartphones.
To wrap up: SAP’s problems have everything to do with technology and its associated costs. SAP is a company I like to monitor because it has that old IBM DNA, and it is a management case study in action. The firm flips from multi year deployments to messy legal hassles to up and down pricing, to appliances.
Maybe you dig this? Certainly the mid tier consulting firms chow down on these assertions the way I do when someone in Harrod’s Creek throws me a crust of bread. I am not so sure that the clients will as willing as they have in the past, however.
Here’s an interesting statement from the Bloomberg write up:
SAP has been quicker to deliver compelling technology and more open to customers’ needs since the management change this year, says Thorsten Poetter, a vice-president at Bayer responsible for data analysis. “SAP wasn’t very open to listening to what we said. That has changed dramatically.” The first version of Hana still requires too much extra work to load financial information from Bayer’s databases, and the company is waiting for an improvement next year that speeds the process, Poetter says. Bayer may use Hana to give its salespeople more current information as they head into customer meetings. “The general performance of a business intelligence system can’t be fast enough,” says Poetter. “I always compare it to Google. It has to be as fast as typing.”
Hmmm. Does this mean not ready for prime time even though a mid tier consultant says the gizmo is ready to roll? I will go with the Bayer view for now. Mid tier = marketing? A hypothesis.
Stephen E Arnold, December 6, 2010
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Oracle Step-by-Step and for Free
December 1, 2010
Pat that turnkey stuffed tummy. Flip open your trusty non-HP laptop and dig into “Complete Checklist for Manual Upgrades to 11gR2.” If you are not an Oracle fan, you need to know that the “11gR2” is short hand for the most recent version of Larry Ellison’s favorite data management money generating system.
This link will yield a useful, explicit set of instructions for upgrading to Oracle 11gR2. Looking through these steps, we found something curious. Out of 41 steps, step 39 is upgrading Oracle Text, i.e. the step that deals with search functions. This comes after updating Oracle-Supplied Account passwords at step 38. Search is either really important, like the whipped cream on a banana split or not too important, more like the napkin the soda jerk points to when you have paid.
We’re surprised that the search-related part of this upgrade comes so far down on the list. Is this indicative of the priority searching takes in Oracle’s universe? Alternatively, maybe search is so important that it is the finishing touch on an outstanding, scalable, XML savvy, high performance system? This installation information may carry you into tomorrow now.
Laura Amos, December 1, 2010
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SAIC and Its Acquisition Hat Trick
November 29, 2010
SAIC is a reasonably big, low profile outfit. You can get some quick facts at this link or directly from the SAIC Web site at www.saic.com.
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) is seems very pleased with itself at buying out three other companies, as reported in “SAIC Acquired Intellectual Property and Other Assets from Three Companies.” We have some curiosity about the deals. The firms are not household names: AppTek Partners, LLC, Applications Technology, Inc. and MediaMind, LLC. Their URLs are not listed in this article.
We’d also like to know why, exactly, SAIC believes this makes them “well positioned for growth in the rising market segment.” Our view is that SAIC needs to ramp up staff quickly and buying these firms deliver bodies, some customers, and maybe some useful technology.
As you may recall, SAIC was the force behind the search system Teratext, a low profile repository approach to managing and accessing data. Just get one of those low- or mid-tier consulting firms to fill you in about Teratext and the source of its underlying technology.
Oh, SAIC does lots of work for various low profile agencies in the US government.
Cynthia Murrell, November 29, 2010
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Big Data: A Corporate Addiction
November 23, 2010
Corporations across the globe are facing a 21st century problem–having too much data, but needing more, and faster.
According to a the results of a Kelton Research global study referenced in “UK Companies are addicted to ‘Big Data’”, UK executives are often overwhelmed by the high volumes of data regularly presented to them. Further, these same executives find decision-making more difficult due to too much information, and collaboration with coworkers undesirable due to the threat of receiving any more information.
The oddity is that despite this fact, these same executives state they crave even more data at higher speeds, believing it would facilitate them to do their jobs better. While it may seem apparent that executives understand the value added by the data, mainly leading to decreased risk, the contradictory responses don’t make the survey outcome any easier to interpret. The write up said:
Despite the increasing volume of data, pressure to keep up with customer expectations and focus on technology investments, today’s companies are still struggling to see big data as a driver of real business value.
We appreciate that today’s companies feel that way, but it doesn’t mean this issue will resolve itself any time soon.
What we know for sure is that the demand for data is only increasing and with this demand comes challenges, including the speed of content processing, cost of required infrastructure and the ability to sift through enormous piles of records without initial human intervention. Looks like the future’s most successful companies must find ways to tackle these obstacles with cost-effective technology solutions, enabling executives to get their undeniable data fix.
Sarah Rogers, November 23, 2010
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OpenText Turns to an Oracle
November 23, 2010
According to a news story in IT Channel, Open Text has worked a deal to integrate more closely with Oracle. “Open Text et Oracle renforcent leur partenariat” said:
Open Text has a technological license and of specific distribution for Oracle Universal Online Archive Content Management SDK which enables him to embark Oracle technology in its solutions. Open Text will be able to optimize the integration of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g and other functionalities of the Oracle platform.
Open Text has been taking some heat from Autonomy and Mark Logic. Both companies have demonstrated an ability to compete in markets where Open Text has gained traction. Open Text’s angle seems to be “information governance”, which I find a somewhat nebulous concept.
Open Text, as you know, has a pushcart filled with search technology. The properties are mostly stand alone; for example, the SGML search function dating from Tim Bray’s tenure, Fulcrum, BRS, IDI Basis, the Nstein tools, and other bits and pieces from the various acquisitions. I think RedDot arrives with an Autonomy stub.
Will this tie up work? Both Autonomy and Mark Logic have more refined marketing and sales methods. Open Text will have to innovate, and I am not sure that Oracle’s middleware or database will provide much more than a license to hunt for deals among organizations with Oracle database administrators eager to protect their sinecures.
Stephen E Arnold, November 23, 2010
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Useful Oracle Schema Information
November 23, 2010
DBAsoul.com, a blog dedicated to providing Oracle Database knowledge sharing, just released some useful information about Oracle default schema in a recent post “11g Default Schema”.
The document provides “an overview of the schema’s purpose and function and, should the functionality not be required, whether they can be safely deleted or not without compromising the fundamental operation of the database. Additionally, having been removed, if a schema is required again, there are details of which script(s) are required to be run in order to recreate it.” Furthermore, an administrative section details features that are not installed by default, giving the schema’s purpose and creation script.
Oracle’s reach is widespread, making this information valuable. Our suggestion: download, read, and tuck away for later use.
Christina Sheley, November 23, 2010
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Free Oracle Text Primer
November 19, 2010
From the blog Learn from Noah’s Ark, we have an excellent overview of Oracle Text. Oracle Text is built into the Standard and Enterprise versions of Oracle 11g, and “uses standard SQL to index, search, and analyze text stored in structured form inside Oracle database, or in unstructured form in either local file system, or on the Web.” Oracle Text supports multiple languages, offers many different ways of searching including keyword and Boolean, and allows users to receive search results in a variety of formats. The useful write-up of Oracle Text featured here includes information on the features of Oracle Text, an overview of the SQL API used in Oracle Text, a primer on creating indices in Oracle Text, and details on document services found within Oracle Text. A handy list of resources is useful for those who want or need more in-depth information on this product. No tips about improving performance on a shoestring, however.
Laura Amos, November 19, 2010
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NoSQL Kudzu Could Threaten SQL Server
November 15, 2010
You will have to point your browser thing—social or anti-social—at “Microsoft Coaches NoSQL Options for Azure Cloud.” I think I understand the words in the write up. I just am not sure of the Azure, NoSQL, and SQL Server subtext. Azure is, I thought, SQL Server friendly.
Before you jump into the details of Microsoft’s open source friendly ecosystem, think about Kudzu. Wikipedia says here that kudzu is “a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine.” Some arborists are not to fond of kudzu. Will open source digital kudzu thrive in Azure’s cloud?
The notion of running open source on Azure strikes me as interesting. What happens if the cloud friendly effort nibbles at SQL Server license revenues? My hunch is that today’s good words are going to be triggers for Oracle-like behavior. I still can’t figure out what Oracle’s open source strategy is. I find the Java litigation an interesting tactical move, but the big picture is fuzzy.
Here’s a passage that caught my eye:
Microsoft has also started working with Membase to give Azure an in-memory key-value store component using memcached. The pair are looking for ways to tweak Membase’s supported version of memcached for Microsoft’s cloud.
The more open source data management wraps around Azure, the more interesting the situation will become.
Stephen E Arnold, November 15, 2010
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Can Analytics Turn Drivel into Diamonds?
November 10, 2010
Are Facebook posts drivel or diamonds? Perhaps a better question is, “Can analytics convert drivel into diamonds?” The answer may be, “Yes.”
The Facebook content does not require semantics to squeeze sense out of it. The fact that a person has posted information delivers a signal about content “value.” The article “Drivel on Facebook More Valuable Than We Think” references a Swedish university’s report that calls attention to the importance of the superficial contacts, apparently unnecessary comments, and banal status updates on Facebook.
Regarding the more-than-real pseudo-friends of Facebook, the article says:
These contacts in fact constitute highly useful networks, networks that make use of the ostensibly meaningless comments and updates.
The public value of messages from a semi-private ecosystem is high. Companies and public authorities are not aware of the value of Facebook and other social content, particularly streams of content. Analytic methods, both simple and complex, justifies the cost of running analyses across these data. Who knew that social networking would generate value beyond the satisfaction of communicating with friends and acquaintances. The message is clear, “It’s time to cash on this gold rush.” For more information about text and data mining, navigate to www.inteltrax.com.
Harleena Singh, November 10, 2010
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