BEA gets last laugh on Oracle app server

Products considered "strategic" - those from BEA with features Oracle had lacked - are getting updated quickest - over a six- to 18-month period. BEA products that stay will get a new nomenclature: Oracle 10g release 3. They'll be offered with the same level of support as Oracle's other Fusion products and show a "significantly higher degree of interoperability between BEA and Oracle middleware," Kurian said.

Just in case you're feeling like all this is a little, you know, too good to be true and that "convergence" between BEA and Oracle's middleware might not go smoothly, Oracle is extending the life support for its 10g Fusion middleware R2 and R3. Oracle will provide an "additional year of flexibility".

Also, there's no pressure in migrating - especially you eBusiness Suite customers using the now deprioritized Oracle application server. You won't be forced to migrate to WebLogic, even though it's now Oracle's flag bearer.

For BEA users, the story is mixed. Oracle is offering you the option of using its per-user and insane per core pricing schemes, which can translate into a 47 per cent WebLogic price hike. Or, you can just ignore Oracle's methods and stick to the old BEA systems.

Worry about the gas

So don't worry, all you BEA and Oracle users. According to Phillips, Oracle is a master at integrating companies and retaining engineers. Also, Oracle's got the revenue to continue investing in middleware - $22bn by the last count. "This [BEA] is not just another acquisition for us. We have been investing in the middleware business for years," Phillips cooed.

So, then, everything is good. Nothing's going away, you won't be forced to migrate, and you can pay Oracle the way you prefer. We can all now go home and worry about something else, like water shortages or the rising cost of petrol. Yeah, right.®