Conference ulysse::rdb_vms_competition

209.0. "Two from ORACLE RAG, DEC Agreement and mail" by USHS08::SPARKS () Thu Oct 06 1988 22:34

    Here are two articles I reprinted from the ORACLE Fall Journal I
    recieved today.
    
    ORACLE DISTRIBUTED BY DEC
    
    Digital Equipment Corporation and Oracle have signed a distribution
    agreement which grants DEC no exclusive marketing rights to Oracle's
    SQL-based ORACLE relational Database management system, $gl tools,
    and decision-support software on the VAX family of computers under
    the Ultrix operating system.  Ultrix is DEC's proprietary version
    ov 4.2 UNIX with the addition of System V featurs.
    
    The software will be marketed on the entire range of VAX processors
    from the MicroVAX II and MicroVAX 3000 series of workstations to
    the newly announced VAX 6000 and 8000 series of mid-range and mainframe
    class proicessors.  In addition to marketing Oracle's software
    products, DEC will also resell Oracles's standard annual technical
    support and maintenance to its end users.  Oracles SQL*Star
    architecture supports the Digital Network Architecture (DNA) and
    gives end users the ability to develop, access and maintain fully
    distributed databases across heterogeneous computing environments
    linking Ultrix to VMS and MS-DOS.
    
    
    ///////  I don't like the inferance of the last statement.  To
    me it sounds like they are saying if you want to run Ultrix and
    VMS in the same shop, you should put ORACLE on both systems.  With
    the workstation market being moved towards UNIX, is this a good
    idea to sell Oracle on the workstaion.  Isn't that telling the customer
    that if they get an application running on the Workstation that
    if they buy Oracle on the VAX/VMS system they can communicate??
    
    
    Article two.  This time they've gone to far, I take mail personally!!!!
          
    INTRO OMITTED
    
    Enter Oracle Mail, the first offering from Oracle's family of Office
    Automation Products.  Oracle Mail is a relational DBMS based electronic
    mail system which allows users to share, exchange and manage all
    forms of information in a networked, heterogeneous environment.
     Like the Oracle relational DBMS, Oracle Mail is portable, which
    gives users the ability to work with the same mail system on all
    hardware platforms supported by Oracle.  And, for the first time
    ever, electronic mail now becomes and integrated applications tool.
    
    Oracle mail treats physically separate mail servers as a single
    logical mail system by means of the distributed capability provided
    by SQL*net.  Users will be able to exchange mail with users on
    different mail servers without having to know anything about a
    recipients mail servier such as the server's location, operating
    system or configuration.
    
    Building upon Oracle, Oracle mail will provide flexible information
    management.  Users will be able to treat their collection of mail
    messages as a personal database instread of as unrelated pieces
    of text.  The will be able to sort their messages in the order they
    specify and list only those messages that meet criteria they define.
     With it's sophisticated user interface and rich functionality,
    Oracle Mail will facilitate the process of cummunicating
    electronically, enabling all users to acquire and disseminate
    information more effectively.  
    
    Oracle mail will minimize the consumption of disk space usage by
    users.  It will store only a single copy of the message per mail
    server, for example, regardless of the number of recipients of that
    message.  The copy is shared by it recipients transparenbtly and
    will be deleted by Oracle Mail only after the last recipient has
    deleted it. 
    
    Users will also be able to assign expiration dates to their messages.
     When the expiration date for a message is reached, Oracle Mail
    will automatically delete that message.  Hence, obsolete messages
    can be eliminated from the mail system as soon as possible, instead
    of continuing to consume disk sace unnecessarily.
    
    The Oracle mail system will be easy to install and maintain.  the
    system administrator will work with the same user interface regardless
    of the hardware platform in question.  therefor, only one set
    of commands and procedures needs to be learned.  In addition, the
    admininistrator will be able to manage a group of mail servers from
    a single server within that group.  When a user is added to the
    mail system, the new entry can be made from  one mail server and
    the changes will automatically be propagated to the others.  This
    feature elininates thge time and risk fo manually entering the same
    changes to all affected servers.
    
    In order to support mail exchange between Oracle Mail and other
    mail systems, Oracle will provide mail gateway products as separate
    options.  Three mail gateways are currently planned for release
    in conjunction wit Oracle Mail V 1.0.  The Unix mail gateway will
    link Oracle Mail wiht the standard amil system provided as part
    of the UNIX operating system.  The VAX/VMS mail gateway will link
    Oracle Mail with the DEC VAX/VMS Mail Utility.  the x.400 mail gateway
    will linke Oracle mail with any other CCITT X.400 compatible mail
    system.  With this initial set of mail gateways, users can achieve
    access to additiona mail systems, such as PROFS as well.
    
                 
    
    SET MODE FLAME ON: IS NOTHING SACRED?
    SET MODE FLAME OFF:
    
    Actually if this product is as buggy and troblesome as most of there
    early releases, there isn't a lot to be worried about YET.  But
    it looks like they are attacking on all fronts.  Also articles
    for SQL*CASE, Macintosh version, Financial Application generator
    system, Lotus 1-2-3 gateway to Minis and Mainframes with Oracle
    and Thread Management with CICS attachments
    
    Lots of hype but not much deliverables as of yet.
    
    Sparky