Oracle created in C or Java?

java sql c oracle

11,873

Solution 1

According to Tom Kyte: http://asktom.oracle.com/pls/asktom/f?p=100:11:0::NO::P11_QUESTION_ID:5228516811673

Oracle was originally written in fortran and then redone in C, which it has been written in ever since. In fact, when we ported Oracle to the mainframe for the first time we were faced with an issue -- do we rewrite Oracle in assembler (there was no c compiler on the mainframe back then) or do we write a C compiler? We wrote a C compiler.

Solution 2

The database engine itself is written in C (or C++)

See the entry for 1983 in the Oracle timeline: http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/timeline/index.html

with server code written in the C programming language

Solution 3

Originally it was written in Assembly for the VAX/VMS. In 1982 Oracle V3 was written in C. Here you will find a bit of Oracle history.

By the way, .. Larry Ellison hires the best professional skippers to race his sailing boat ... :-)

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Admin

Updated on June 13, 2022

Comments

Admin almost 2 years

So i've looked around online trying to figure out if Oracle(Database) was created in C/C++ or Java? I've gotten answers saying either or, but not a definite answer?

seems like it should've been written in C, but then again im not sure. I even looked on their site and I can't find any information.

Thanks
- Gabe about 13 years
  
  The ORACLE codebase dates from the 1970s. Java dates from the 1990s. What do you think it's written in?
- Gabe about 13 years
  
  @Steve: Well, I have heard of Java being called "the new COBOL"...
- Vadim K. about 13 years
  
  @Gabe: I thought SQL was the new COBOL.
- Gabe about 13 years
  
  @Vadim: Actually, NoSQL is the new Java. I can see how you would be confused.
- Gary Myers about 13 years
  
  Nominated for re-opening as there are times when you actually need to relink Oracle, which isn't something you'd do with a Java implementation. So it isn't totally academic. oracledoug.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/…
Steve Jessop about 13 years

Presumably there is now a fair amount of Java in there too, since the JVM+libraries that run Java stored procedures are (I'd guess) written largely in Java. But that's not the core DB.
a_horse_with_no_name about 13 years

@Steve Jessop: you are right, there is a JVM integrated, but it's only there to run customer's code. I don't think that there is any Java code in the database engine itself. You can install Oracle without Java support, so the core definitely does not need it.
Gary Myers about 13 years

There are components that do rely on the Java in the database (eg bits of the media / image manipulation) but the core doesn't require it (and the the free XE version doesn't come with the JVM).
David Faber about 9 years

Oracle pre-dates the VAX - it was originally written in PDP-11 assembler.
Costis Aivalis about 9 years

It is true that Version 1 was developed on RSX-11, but transactions were developed on VAXen under VMS. After that they ported the system to Unix. On the other hand VMS was based on RSX-11M. Anyway, thank Dennis Richie for Unix...
David Faber about 9 years

I miss VMS - secure and reliable.