Things I wish from Oracle in 2010 (2): Call off the license sharks
Jan 17th 2010vesterlilicensing
The second thing I wish for from Oracle in 2010 is that Larry calls off the license sharks.
It seems that Oracle is currently working agressively to maximize the license fee from existing customers, and customers are unhappy.
Here in Denmark, the last month has seen the media reporting:
- Oracle taking Scandinavian Airlines to court over license claims
- The Danish and Swedish postal service deciding not to base future development on Oracle, due to a license dispute
- A case where an intelligent road sign used an Oracle database, and Oracle claimed every passing motorist as a user
I don’t know the details, and each and every of these claims might be completely correct from a legal and contractual standpoint. But the fact that these cases appear in the media show that the customers are unhappy and feel strong-armed by Oracle.
Having dedicated my professional life to becoming an expert on Oracle tools, I find this trend very worrying. A salesman can always leave Oracle and go sell IBM or Microsoft - but my skills are not as easily transferred.
I wish Oracle would spend more time explaining their position so that an agreement can be reached that does not jeopardize Oracle’s long-term market share.
If you agree, please vote for this idea on Oracle Mix - and feel free to comment below, to sten@vesterli.com or on Oracle Mix.
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