Oracle extends 'lifetime' promise

When it comes to Oracle- bought software, 'lifetime support' used to mean just support for seven years, making "software support years" run even faster than dog years.

But no-longer. Oracle has had a rethink over its inherited Siebel, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards code-bases, today announcing it will release new versions into the foreseeable future. The company had previously defined lifetime to mean support ending in 2013.

So Oracle will continue to update the trio of applications it bought last year, long-after delivery of its planned Oracle Fusion Applications in 2008. Also on the table are full "customer-driven" roadmaps, development teams inside of Oracle who will continue to upgrade the acquired applications, and "no forced upgrades."

Oracle says the scale of its applications business - spanning 30,000 customers - means it can continue investing in the products, "which in turn, allows us to address a wide range of customer requirements".

In the meantime, Oracle is certifying acquired applications for interoperability with middleware. Oracle announced Siebel 7.8 would be certified for use with its PeopleSoft, JD Edwards and Oracle E-Business Suite with the release of Siebel 8.0 due later this year.®