As I mentioned yesterday, I met up with Oracle president Charles Phillips this morning.
As I suspected, Phillips discussed Oracle's acquisition strategy, how this had improved support and maintenance, the company's Fusion middleware and its importance as a standards-based service oriented architecture.
So no surprises here then. However, I did quiz Phillips on Oracle's green credentials. His first remark to me was that green was a problem for the hardware guys. When I clarified my question by suggesting Oracle relied on high performance hardware and therefore did have a green IT responsibility, he mentioned that the new database offered compression technology and hierarchical storage, which meant users could put data on less power-hungry disc arrays and storage systems.
The answer was not what I expected from one of the world's largest software companies.
Let me bring in a car analogy. Now I can't say for certain but I'm pretty sure the German-built Porsche 911 is more energy-efficient than a gas-guzzling Corvette from the US and it goes a lot quicker. Arguably, the Porsche has been engineered to produce optimal performance with maximum efficiency. While the Corvette uses a 6 litre V8, the Porsche Carrera S uses a 3.8 litre engine, yet both produce around 400 BHP.
In theory, software that is engineered rather than written should be more precise; it should produce optimal performance with the least energy wastage caused by inefficient coding practices. This is something Charles Phillips and Oracle may want to think about when the company starts developing the next versions of its software products.
Comments (2)
Actually, the Porsche Carrara S (17 city/25 highway) and the Corvette (16 city/26 highway) get about equal mileage, so that was a cheap shot (www.fueleconomy.gov). Stick to computers ...
Posted by Anonymous | August 9, 2007 1:26 PM
Posted on August 9, 2007 13:26
Ya, i agree that software that is engineered rather than written should be more precise. I think it will produce optimal performance with the least energy wastage caused by inefficient coding practices.
But who knows, sometimes theory is different with reality.
Posted by John | March 22, 2008 8:57 AM
Posted on March 22, 2008 08:57