SAP said Wednesday it contacted Oracle and its CEO, Larry Ellison, in recent months over concerns about the future of the Java programming language and competition in the database market, not to offer help facilitating Oracle's purchase of Sun Microsystems, which is being held up by a European antitrust review.
The statement follows a recent Wall Street Journal editorial that speculated about the latter possibility. The editorial was based on a letter sent to Ellison on Sept. 15 by SAP CEO Léo Apotheker, which consisted of the following statement, according to the Journal:
"As you know, we have significant concerns about Oracle's proposed takeover of Sun. We renew our invitation to meet to attempt to resolve our concerns and other open issues between our companies. Please let us know if and when you would like to meet."
The Journal noted that "other issues" between the two companies include an ongoing intellectual property lawsuit Oracle filed against SAP in connection with TomorrowNow, a now-shuttered subsidiary of SAP that provided third-party support for Oracle applications.
SAP "strongly rejects" the editorial's "misleading speculation," Wednesday's statement said, reiterating remarks by an SAP spokesman earlier this week.
Instead, SAP has "concerns about customer choice in the database market and the future open licensing of Java," and first contacted Oracle and Sun about the matter "as far back as the end of July 2009."
"Since there was no response, our CEO Léo Apotheker took the initiative and wrote to both Oracle and Sun CEOs in the middle of September to voice our concerns again, offer a dialogue, and attempt to clarify the issues. We have not heard back from Oracle, but instead found Léo Apotheker's letter leaked to the press last week," the statement adds. "This is both telling and disappointing as it demonstrates that there is no real interest by Oracle to listen and explain how it wants to ensure the required level of customer choice in the database market as well as open access to Java."
Monday, November 16, 2009
Big Faceless Java Report Generator 1.1.45 (Windows)
The Big Faceless Report Generator is a Java component for creating PDF reports from XML. The Extended Edition includes a PDF reader for importing and editing functionality. Using JSP, ASP, XSL, or similar, and creating dynamic PDF documents direct from a database is now as easy as HTML. Features include Unicode support, spot and calibrated color, CSS2 stylesheets, tables, HTML style syntax, hyperlinks, graphs and charts, TrueType and Type1 fonts, encryption/password protection, OCR support, and bar codes.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Oracle, Sun Deal Approved By Justice Dept.
Oracle announced late Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice has approved its proposed acquisition of Sun Microsystems.
The European Commission has still to rule on the deal, a step that will be required before it can close. That body has indicated it will issue an initial opinion on Sept. 3, according to the Wall Street Journal. It may OK the deal at that time or launch a four-month probe of it.
Oracle had originally hoped to complete the acquisition in August. Sun shareholders on July 16 approved the $5.6 billion deal by a wide enough margin for the Justice Department to terminate the waiting period normally required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Oracle announced the planned acquisition in April.
The Justice Department ruling came earlier than expected, a possible response to Sun's declining revenues and precarious business position in a steep recession, as the required reviews proceeded.
The antitrust unit of the department announced a second round of review into the ramifications of the deal in June. That round was completed promptly for DOJ's approval to be announced Thursday.
One antitrust concern was that Oracle will become the owner of the widely used Java programming language. Oracle's database and middleware competitors, such as IBM and Red Hat, rely on Java.
Oracle will also acquire the Solaris operating system, a portfolio of Java middleware and the open source database system, MySQL, in the acquisition.
Burton Group analyst Nik Simpson said in a July Webcast that Sun's hardware business was "between a rock and hard place." Rock, noting it was the code name for Sun's next generation of UltraSparc servers. UltraSparc sales "never really recovered from the Dotcom bust," he said during the Webcast.
In the most recent quarter, hardware sales were down 33%. Sun's design project for its next generation UltraSparc architecture, code named "Rock," has been cancelled, according to numerous reports. "That leaves them without a next-generation architecture," Simpson said.
As a result, HP and IBM have been making offers aimed squarely at migrating UltraSparc server users to their own brands of hardware.
The European Commission has still to rule on the deal, a step that will be required before it can close. That body has indicated it will issue an initial opinion on Sept. 3, according to the Wall Street Journal. It may OK the deal at that time or launch a four-month probe of it.
Oracle had originally hoped to complete the acquisition in August. Sun shareholders on July 16 approved the $5.6 billion deal by a wide enough margin for the Justice Department to terminate the waiting period normally required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Oracle announced the planned acquisition in April.
The Justice Department ruling came earlier than expected, a possible response to Sun's declining revenues and precarious business position in a steep recession, as the required reviews proceeded.
The antitrust unit of the department announced a second round of review into the ramifications of the deal in June. That round was completed promptly for DOJ's approval to be announced Thursday.
One antitrust concern was that Oracle will become the owner of the widely used Java programming language. Oracle's database and middleware competitors, such as IBM and Red Hat, rely on Java.
Oracle will also acquire the Solaris operating system, a portfolio of Java middleware and the open source database system, MySQL, in the acquisition.
Burton Group analyst Nik Simpson said in a July Webcast that Sun's hardware business was "between a rock and hard place." Rock, noting it was the code name for Sun's next generation of UltraSparc servers. UltraSparc sales "never really recovered from the Dotcom bust," he said during the Webcast.
In the most recent quarter, hardware sales were down 33%. Sun's design project for its next generation UltraSparc architecture, code named "Rock," has been cancelled, according to numerous reports. "That leaves them without a next-generation architecture," Simpson said.
As a result, HP and IBM have been making offers aimed squarely at migrating UltraSparc server users to their own brands of hardware.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Java Vital To Top 50 Enterprise Software Vendors
Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems and Sun's Java programming language could "wreak havoc" on the enterprise software market, according to a report by AMR Research, because so many vendors make applications that rely on Java.
Of the top 50 software vendors ranked by AMR, two-thirds have applications that require Java, including many Oracle competitors.
Last month, Oracle said the U.S. Department of Justice was still looking at its acquisition of Sun with regard to how rights to Java are licensed. However, Oracle said, it still expects the deal to close this summer.
"Not only will vendors be impacted by the fragile economy, but 33 out of the top 50 vendors will have to reevaluate their commitment to the Java programming language," said AMR vice president Dennis Gaughan.
SAP, with nearly its $16 billion in revenue, and Oracle, with $8.6 billion in revenue, dominate the market for enterprise software, and they also affect how well different categories of the software perform.
Project Lifecycle Management, the one category where Oracle and SAP don't play, was the only category that shrank last year, according to AMR. It was down 2 percent. The rest -- ERP, supply chain management, human capital management and customer relationship management (CRM) -- grew between 4 percent and 9 percent.
But because of the weak economy, 2009 will be different, Gaughan said. AMR forecasts declines of between 2 percent and 6 percent for all enterprise software, depending on how tight corporate budgets are and how reluctant companies are to buy new licenses.
Opportunities will still occur in software sold as a service, which continues to grow because it's cheaper and faster to deploy, and any software that helps companies cope with the economy. This includes software for workforce management, regulatory compliance and procurement.
Small and medium businesses are also still buying software and causing tough competition among vendors, AMR said.
Of the top 50 software vendors ranked by AMR, two-thirds have applications that require Java, including many Oracle competitors.
Last month, Oracle said the U.S. Department of Justice was still looking at its acquisition of Sun with regard to how rights to Java are licensed. However, Oracle said, it still expects the deal to close this summer.
"Not only will vendors be impacted by the fragile economy, but 33 out of the top 50 vendors will have to reevaluate their commitment to the Java programming language," said AMR vice president Dennis Gaughan.
SAP, with nearly its $16 billion in revenue, and Oracle, with $8.6 billion in revenue, dominate the market for enterprise software, and they also affect how well different categories of the software perform.
Project Lifecycle Management, the one category where Oracle and SAP don't play, was the only category that shrank last year, according to AMR. It was down 2 percent. The rest -- ERP, supply chain management, human capital management and customer relationship management (CRM) -- grew between 4 percent and 9 percent.
But because of the weak economy, 2009 will be different, Gaughan said. AMR forecasts declines of between 2 percent and 6 percent for all enterprise software, depending on how tight corporate budgets are and how reluctant companies are to buy new licenses.
Opportunities will still occur in software sold as a service, which continues to grow because it's cheaper and faster to deploy, and any software that helps companies cope with the economy. This includes software for workforce management, regulatory compliance and procurement.
Small and medium businesses are also still buying software and causing tough competition among vendors, AMR said.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mobile Companies Try To Reduce Java Fragmentation
A consortium of mobile heavyweights has agreed to some programs that could make it cheaper and easier to create and deploy applications based on Java Micro Edition.
Access, Orange, Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Sun Microsystems, and Vodafone are tackling the issue of fragmentation, and they will be implementing testing programs that potentially could get apps out quicker, as well as provide a consistent experience across multiple handsets.
The Java Verified program has handled testing and signing needs for about five years, and it will be getting some enhancements to streamline the process. The testing procedure is now handled via one full test per platform, which should make testing faster and less expensive. There will also be a publisher ID that provides a tamper-proof digital certificate to identify the origin of the app.
The companies are also collaborating on an open source project that will be known as the Java Application Terminal Alignment Framework. This will provide tests and frameworks that ensure the app can function consistently across a large deployment of devices. The tests are built to run on the Java Device Test Framework, and it is available to the community under the General Public License, version 2.
"Over the last 12 years the Java platform has done more than any other technology to address the fragmentation inherent across the consumer electronics and IT industries," said Jeet Kaul, senior VP for Java technology at Sun, in a statement. "Our contribution of the Java Device Test Framework reflects our commitment to JATAF's important work and we look forward to ensuring that both JATAF and the Java Verified Program make Java ME an even better platform to develop and invest in."
Access, Orange, Motorola, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Sun Microsystems, and Vodafone are tackling the issue of fragmentation, and they will be implementing testing programs that potentially could get apps out quicker, as well as provide a consistent experience across multiple handsets.
The Java Verified program has handled testing and signing needs for about five years, and it will be getting some enhancements to streamline the process. The testing procedure is now handled via one full test per platform, which should make testing faster and less expensive. There will also be a publisher ID that provides a tamper-proof digital certificate to identify the origin of the app.
The companies are also collaborating on an open source project that will be known as the Java Application Terminal Alignment Framework. This will provide tests and frameworks that ensure the app can function consistently across a large deployment of devices. The tests are built to run on the Java Device Test Framework, and it is available to the community under the General Public License, version 2.
"Over the last 12 years the Java platform has done more than any other technology to address the fragmentation inherent across the consumer electronics and IT industries," said Jeet Kaul, senior VP for Java technology at Sun, in a statement. "Our contribution of the Java Device Test Framework reflects our commitment to JATAF's important work and we look forward to ensuring that both JATAF and the Java Verified Program make Java ME an even better platform to develop and invest in."
Object Relation Mapping and Java Persistence: Data Modeling and Legacy Schemas
Continuing his mini-series on Hibernate and JPA, Stephen Morris tackles more complex object relational mapping (ORM) techniques. This includes entity and value type component mapping and database design workflow.
These days, it’s essential to have a strong knowledge of object relational mapping. This reflects the need for retaining application data long after the application has run. As the need for data storage grows, so too does the need to work with legacy databases or schemas. A schema is simply a description of a database—i.e., its tables, data types, constraints, etc.
Before working with legacy schemas, it’s sometimes necessary to learn more complex mapping techniques. This knowledge will help you in working around what are often quirky legacy schemas. Very often, it’s simply not an option to modify a legacy schema.
A key concept in object relational mapping is the difference between entity and value types. Let’s now look at this concept.
These days, it’s essential to have a strong knowledge of object relational mapping. This reflects the need for retaining application data long after the application has run. As the need for data storage grows, so too does the need to work with legacy databases or schemas. A schema is simply a description of a database—i.e., its tables, data types, constraints, etc.
Before working with legacy schemas, it’s sometimes necessary to learn more complex mapping techniques. This knowledge will help you in working around what are often quirky legacy schemas. Very often, it’s simply not an option to modify a legacy schema.
A key concept in object relational mapping is the difference between entity and value types. Let’s now look at this concept.
Oracle’s Q4 Profit, Sales Beat Expectations (ORCL)
Enterprise software maker Oracle Corporation (ORCL) said late Tuesday that its fiscal fourth quarter profit fell 7% from last year, but results still beat expectations.
The Redwood City, California-based company reported fiscal fourth quarter net income of $1.89 billion, or 38 cents per share, compared with $2.04 billion, or 39 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Excluding one-time items, Oracle posted an adjusted profit of 46 cents per share.
Sales fell 4% from the same quarter last year to $6.86 billion.
On average, Wall Street analysts expected a lower profit of 44 cents per share on $6.4 billion in revenue.
New software license sales dropped 13% from year-ago levels to $2.74 billion, a sign that Oracle’s customers are holding off in buying new versions of the company’s proprietary software. License updates and product support grew 8%, however, to $3.05 billion.
The company is currently working to close a $7.4 billion acquisition of JAVA software maker Sun Microsystems.
As for the full fiscal year, Oracle said it saw a profit of $5.59 billion, on sales of $23.25 billion.
Looking ahead, Oracle said it expects revenue for the current first quarter to fall 1% to 4% from last year-’s levels, while analysts expect a 5% drop. The company predicted a first quarter profit of 29 cents to 31 cents per share, excluding items, while analysts currently see 30 cents per share.
Oracle shares rose $1.47, or +7.4%, in morning trading Wednesday.
Oracle Shares Rise On Better-Than-Expected Results
Oracle Corp. (ORCL) shares jumped Wednesday morning after the software giant beat Wall Street's estimates for its fourth fiscal quarter and issued a better-than-expected forecast for the current period.
In early trading Wednesday, Oracle shares were up 8.2% to $21.50 - setting the stock's highest level in nearly 10 months.
Late Tuesday, the maker of enterprise software reported a 7% decline in earnings for the quarter ended May 31. Total revenue fell 5% to $6.9 billion while sales of new software licenses fell 13% to $2.7 billion. Those results still came in ahead of estimates from analysts.
For the current period, Oracle projected earnings to come in between 31 and 33 cents a share. Analysts have been anticipating first-quarter earnings excluding special items of 30 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters.
"The quarter was very clean with little to pick on, and in our view, provided a good example of the power of the traditional software perpetual license model plus maintenance, when coupled with consistent execution," John DiFucci of J.P. Morgan wrote in a note to clients Wednesday.
Oracle remains popular on Wall Street, with more than two-thirds of the analysts covering the stock maintaining a buy rating.
The company's shares have gained about 20% since the first of the year, compared to a 14% rise for the Nasdaq. The stock remains below the $24 median price target set by analysts.
"We continue to favor Oracle as a relative outperformer during this downturn because of its large base of recurring maintenance revenues; business diversity (product set, end markets, and geographies); and earnings and cash flow stability," David Hilal of Friedman Billings Ramsey wrote in a report.
Some remain cautious, however, given the state of the economy as well as the company's pending acquisition of Sun Microsystems (JAVA).
"We continue to believe that Oracle's standalone margin profile is unsustainable, and the pending acquisition/integration of Sun is going to be more challenging than the current valuation implies," wrote Peter Goldmacher of Cowen & Co., who rates the stock as neutral. "We believe ongoing consolidation, particularly among the top four enterprise IT providers (Oracle, IBM, Cisco, and Hewlett-Packard) is going to fracture previous go-to-market partnerships, disrupt indirect sales channels and lead to pricing wars."
In early trading Wednesday, Oracle shares were up 8.2% to $21.50 - setting the stock's highest level in nearly 10 months.
Late Tuesday, the maker of enterprise software reported a 7% decline in earnings for the quarter ended May 31. Total revenue fell 5% to $6.9 billion while sales of new software licenses fell 13% to $2.7 billion. Those results still came in ahead of estimates from analysts.
For the current period, Oracle projected earnings to come in between 31 and 33 cents a share. Analysts have been anticipating first-quarter earnings excluding special items of 30 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters.
"The quarter was very clean with little to pick on, and in our view, provided a good example of the power of the traditional software perpetual license model plus maintenance, when coupled with consistent execution," John DiFucci of J.P. Morgan wrote in a note to clients Wednesday.
Oracle remains popular on Wall Street, with more than two-thirds of the analysts covering the stock maintaining a buy rating.
The company's shares have gained about 20% since the first of the year, compared to a 14% rise for the Nasdaq. The stock remains below the $24 median price target set by analysts.
"We continue to favor Oracle as a relative outperformer during this downturn because of its large base of recurring maintenance revenues; business diversity (product set, end markets, and geographies); and earnings and cash flow stability," David Hilal of Friedman Billings Ramsey wrote in a report.
Some remain cautious, however, given the state of the economy as well as the company's pending acquisition of Sun Microsystems (JAVA).
"We continue to believe that Oracle's standalone margin profile is unsustainable, and the pending acquisition/integration of Sun is going to be more challenging than the current valuation implies," wrote Peter Goldmacher of Cowen & Co., who rates the stock as neutral. "We believe ongoing consolidation, particularly among the top four enterprise IT providers (Oracle, IBM, Cisco, and Hewlett-Packard) is going to fracture previous go-to-market partnerships, disrupt indirect sales channels and lead to pricing wars."
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