In a move that can only benefit Mac OS X in the corporate world, Oracle plans to develop client software to connect workstations running Apple’s next operating system to Oracle’s own database software, according to an eWeek story.
However, the software won’t immediately match the features available for other operating systems, Bob Shimp, senior director of Oracle 9i database marketing, told eWeek. He said that the Mac client will provide programmatic connectivity to Oracle databases, but won’t provide any client tools (executables) such as SQL*Plus. As such, it’s not a full client like that on Windows.
Oracle9i is Internet infrastructure designed to, in Oracle’s words, deploy applications faster while lowering the cost of computing. The Oracle9i Application Server is an integrated application server. The Oracle9i Database features data warehousing, content management, scalability, security features, and more.
Shimp said that an “unsupported, early adopter version” based on the company’s 8.1.6.1 client code base will be available late in the third quarter of 2001. Oracle is planning on releasing a production version, based on 8.1.7.1 code, before the end of 2001, eWeek said.
“The purpose of the 8.1.6 and 8.1.7 clients is to provide ISVs and developers with an OCI programmatic connectivity today, while preparing for a longer-term strategy to migrate Mac OS X development toward Java and JDBC connectivity,” Shimp told eWeek.
Unlike previous versions of the Mac OS, Mac OS X supports the Java 2 standard. Later Oracle will release an Oracle 9i Thin JDBC Driver.
“The 8.1.7 client will continue to be supported throughout the life of Oracle 8i, but all future development work at Oracle will be done only on the Thin JDBC Driver,” Shimp told eWeek. “Both Oracle and Apple support these plans.”
Oracle’s plans are good news, but not particularly shocking. Larry Ellison, chairman and chief executive of Oracle, is a member of Apple’s executive board and calls Apple CEO Steve Jobs “his best friend.”