Sebastopol, CA--A few years ago, many would have laughed at the notion of Oracle Corporation not only tolerating open source software, but incorporating it into their own product lines. Today, the Oracle8i database has been ported to Linux, the open source Apache Jserv web server is a vital part of Oracle's Internet Application Server (iAS), and hundreds of applications are now available linking open source programs to Oracle databases and providing new tools for Oracle database administrators and developers.
The just-released Oracle & Open Source: Tools and Application (Duncan and Hull, O'Reilly, US $39.95) is the first book to tie together the commercial world of Oracle and the free-wheeling world of open source software. It describes nearly 100 open source tools, from the widely applied (like Linux, Perl, and Apache) to the Oracle-specific (like Orasoft, Orac, OracleTool, and OraSnap). The authors describe where to find these tools, what their advantages are, and how to create and release new open source Oracle tools yourself.
"The combination of Oracle Corporation and open source software may appear to be an unlikely pairing. What could Oracle, with its history of ruthless competition, intense marketing, and cutthroat corporate life, have to do with the collaborative, altruistic, and apparently anti-corporate world of open source?" says Andy Duncan, coauthor of Oracle & Open Source. "The answer, surprisingly, is quite a lot. In recent years, the gospel of the open source movement has spread far and wide, reaching even the corporate corridors and product lines of organizations like Oracle Corporation. This new synergy between the corporate world of Oracle and the freewheeling world of open source is a great thing--the blended products we're starting to see truly do represent the best of both worlds."
"Oracle, as the first major independent software vendor to announce Linux support, played a key role in bringing open source to the mainstream," says Eric S. Raymond, author of Cathedral & the Bazaar and President of the Open Source Initiative. "This book continues that tradition by showing Oracle developers and DBAs how open source can improve their working lives and their productivity. I'm very glad to see it."
Online Resources:
Chapter 1, "Oracle Meets Open Source," is available free online.
More information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bio, and samples.
A cover graphic in jpeg format.
An article by Andy Duncan, "Oracle & Open Source: Gazing at the CrystalBall."
Registration has opened for O'Reilly's Open Source Convention in San Diego, July 23-27, 2001.
Oracle & Open
Source
By Andy Duncan & Sean Hull
ISBN 0-596-00018-9, 424 pages, $39.95 (US)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
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