Oracle OpenWorld Blog

Larry Ellison Joins Scott McNealy on SUNday's Keynote Stage

Moscone North, Hall D filled quickly for the final keynote on SUNday, day 1 of Oracle OpenWorld. As attendees made their way to their seats, they were greeted by sun-themed music blasting from the room's speakers, including the high energy of "California Sun" from the Ramones.

When the lights went down, video highlights of Sun Microsystems Chairman and Co-Founder Scott McNealy rolled. Clips from promotional videos, JavaOne appearances, and interview segments showed the serious, and seriously silly, sides of Sun.

When McNealy took the stage, he hinted at the pending Oracle Acquisition, noting the color of his sweater. "It's the closest thing I could find to red, since we're not quite there yet."

"The big theme here is innovation," McNealy continued, "but sometimes engineers get a little out there." With that, he presented top ten signs that engineers have gone wild, including a thumb drive in shape of sushi, a mainframe running on Linux, and the Java Ring.

Then, McNealy got down to business. "Technology has the shelf-life of a banana," he said as he began listing his 10 favorite Sun innovations. Like a self-proclaimed proud papa, McNealy cited, among others, SPARC, Java, and Project Blackbox. He added that he was proudest of going to work every day with the innovators at Sun, saying they, "kicked butt, had fun, didn't cheat, loved our customer, and we changed computing forever."

A bit later, Vice President and Sun Fellow James Gosling joined McNealy on stage to talk about Java and Oracle. Drawing an analogy between Oracle's dedication to Java and a plate of ham and eggs, Gosling said, "the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed. Oracle is committed. Over the years, oracle has been involved all over the place ... my God did oracle help."

McNealy then asked John Fowler, Systems Executive Vice President at Sun, to join him. Fowler pointed out that his team had been working with Oracle for decades building optimized systems, and announced their new #1 status in all 7 key commercial benchmarks.

Finally, McNealy said, "I'd like to bring up the oracle of Redwood City, my hero, Larry Ellison." The Oracle CEO took the stage saying that Sun's innovations over the years were dazzling and that merging the companies' technologies would allow them to do things neither company could do by themselves.

Ellison went on to detail the speed of the new Sun Oracle Database Machine, highlighting its eco-friendly FlashFire technology, and the 16-times faster response compared to what IBM has delivered. He also pointed out how much more energy the IBM machine requires over the Sun Oracle Database Machine. "I don't know what building a smarter planet means, but at Sun and Oracle, we're going to build smarter machines," Ellison said.

McNealy wrapped up the keynote saying, "I believe our board and shareholders made a very wise decision ... I'm counting on Larry and the Oracle team to take very good care of a very important legacy of mine." With a sly grin, he added, "Enjoy Oracle OpenWorld; the drinks are on Larry."

Keen on Green

We're never too busy to help make the world a little bit greener, even on a busy Monday:

The Green Marketplace returns with new eco-innovations. Located in Moscone North, Upper Lobby, you'll find an interactive showcase of what Oracle, its customers, and partners are doing to incorporate sustainability into their business and IT plans.

The Oracle OpenWorld Virtual Collateral Rack helps you put your green ethics into practice. Located at various locations throughout the conference grounds, you can download informative collateral to your thumb drive to take home, or e-mail it to yourself or a coworker back at the office. No unnecessary paper use, no print waste, and no extra weight for you to lug home.

Year in, year out, OTN Night is the conference's networking highlight for all Oracle tech-heads. The event offers food, drinks, games, and fun with fellow technologists. You'll get the chance to meet legendary developers, compete for giveaways, and make new friends. As soon as the sun sets, make a beeline for the Howard Street Tent. The party goes from 7:00 p.m. 'til 10:00 p.m.

Exerpt from the official daily newspaper from Oracle Magazine and Profit. By Bobbie Hartman.

The party starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Oracle OpenWorld Welcome Reception. Head on over to the Howard Street Tent and Yerba Buena Gardens, and enjoy the food, spirits, and good company. While you're there, you won't want to miss the eclectic blend of blues and funk provided by BluesMix, a London-based band led by Oracle's own Robert Fleming.

Fleming, whose day job is vice president of Marketing Campaigns at Oracle, is quite comfortable combining a full-time career with his musical pursuits. "I think it's important to have some kind of passion outside of work," he muses. "For me, it just happens to be music. So when other people at Oracle enjoy their nonwork time of having dinner or playing golf, I'm at a club, playing my music."

If you want to hear more of BluesMix, you can catch the group again tomorrow night at Biscuits & Blues, at the corner of Mason and Geary in San Francisco.

Get the full story in the Oracle OpenWorld Daily.

Exerpt from the Oracle OpenWorld Daily. By Staff.

Welcome to Extreme Innovation at Oracle OpenWorld. Join Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, Sun Microsystems Chairman of the Board and cofounder Scott McNealy, and others as we kick off the premier business technology conference of 2009 with a keynote that will get you thinking about the week ahead and, more importantly, about technology for the future of your business.

The Sun Oracle Database Machine is the world's fastest machine for both data warehousing and online transaction processing (OLTP). It is a complete package of software, servers, and networking for all data management, including data warehousing, transaction processing, and consolidated mixed-application workloads.

With the Sun Oracle Database Machine, customers can consolidate all their database applications, store up to 10 times as much data, search data up to 10 times as fast, and make faster business decisions in real time without making changes to applications.

Don't miss your opportunity to hear it here first. Join Scott McNealy at 5:45 this evening in Moscone North, Hall D, for a showcase of the newest game-changing innovations. McNealy is also hosting a special onstage discussion with Larry Ellison on Sun and Oracle's plans to deliver even more innovation and value to customers.

Get the full story in the Oracle OpenWorld Daily.

Inspiration Plus Celebration

Oracle OpenWorld starts on Sunday, and so does the action:

The Oracle Users Forum is open to all attendees, offering a full day of networking, learning, and exploring favorite technology topics. Drop by at Moscone West, Lobby Levels 2 and 3 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Sunday is also SUNday at the show. So what's the scoop with Sun? Find out tomorrow—straight from the source—during the opening keynote in Moscone North, Hall D at 5:45 p.m. Scott McNealy is hosting an onstage discussion with Larry Ellison on Sun and Oracle's future plans.

After the keynote, head over to the Oracle OpenWorld Welcome Reception. Join us at the Howard Street Tent and Yerba Buena Gardens for the block party to end all block parties. Live music, good food, and a great crowd.

Welcome to San Francisco. We'll see you at the show.

The Word from the Web - 10/09/2009

This weekend Oracle OpenWorld begins bringing you more than 1,800 sessions, 400 partner exhibits, keynotes from the world's technology leaders, hands-on labs, and several special networking events. Our last pre-show Around the World collects links about last-minute preparations, what to expect when you're there, and how to follow the show online. Travel safely, and we'll see you on the show floor.

Oracle OpenWorld Packing List
If it's not too late, Jason Jones has some tips for what you should pack for Oracle OpenWorld. He's compiled a list of the top five items you don't want to be without. His advice about shoes is spot-on. But as a sixth item, we'd like to add our blog.

What to Expect at Oracle OpenWorld 2009?
Shyam Varan Nath provides a nice summary of the 2009 show. Oracle Develop, our Primavera Program, the Green Marketplace—he covers a lot. Stop by one of his sessions and let him know what you're most interested in at the show.

Tweeters Info at Oracle OpenWorld
Oracle DBA George Woods has been compiling a list of Twitter users headed to the Moscone Center for the conference. If you haven't already, send him a message with the #gvwoods tag to let him know you're coming and you want to be added to his list.

Oracle OpenWorld Aims to Draw a Crowd
The San Francisco Examiner takes a look at how the 2009 show can boost the local economy. Despite listing an incorrect headliner for the Appreciation Event (it's Aerosmith, not the Rolling Stones), the piece does a great job highlighting how Oracle OpenWorld manages to thrive despite the economic downturn.

New This Year! Partner 5K Fun Run
For those of you looking to keep up with your fitness routine while in San Francisco, we noticed this item toward the bottom of the Oracle OpenWorld 2009 Oracle PartnerNetwork Forum wiki page: a 5k fun run. So, Monday morning—after the Oracle PartnerNetwork Forum's SIG meetings and keynotes and global awards presentation—hop outta bed, lace on those kicks, and head to the corner of Howard and Fifth Streets by 7 a.m. for some 5k fun!

Please Tune in for Oracle OpenWorld Live
Finally, our friends over at Oracle Mix have done some outstanding work over the past few weeks to bring you Oracle OpenWorld Live. You'll be able to keep up with all the important events—as well as some surprises—in a live stream from the show floor. If you see them at the show, let the Oracle Mix team know how much you appreciate the effort they put into this great new feature of the Oracle OpenWorld 2009.

Space Invaders Descend Upon the Digital Playground

How does one dress to spend an evening with Ms. Pacman? Perhaps the newest episode in our video series Over-Dressed for Oracle OpenWorld can best explain. It showcases the Digital Playground, an electronic lounge with a wonderous mix of cutting-edge interactive multimedia experiences and throwback arcade-style video games like Space Invaders. Enter this time machine, grab a station, and submerge yourself in retro favorites and new adventures created with the Oracle OpenWorld audience in mind—and sponsored by BlackBerry.

Here's a time traveler's tip: the Digital Playground lights up Monday night at Moscone West, Booth 3347, and stays plugged in until 10 p.m.

What's your favorite 20th century video game? Tell us here.

Dedicated Sessions on Data Integration

On September 3, 2009, Oracle completed the acquisition of GoldenGate Software, a leading provider of real-time data integration solutions, making GoldenGate a wholly owned subsidiary of Oracle. As partners for more than ten years, Oracle and GoldenGate share a vision of providing customers with comprehensive real-time data integration solutions. Adding GoldenGate products to Oracle's middleware portfolio increases Oracle's ability to provide mission-critical capabilities to customers operating in complex IT environments.

Learn more about GoldenGate at Oracle OpenWorld through dedicated sessions, or see the latest product offerings in booth #3709 at Moscone West.

(Photo by George Oates, available under a Creative Commons license.)

And the Award Goes to ...

Are greener business practices better business practices from a financial perspective?

Oracle customers have been finding out that the answer is yes. In fact, this year we're presenting Oracle's second annual Enable the Eco Enterprise awards at Oracle OpenWorld. Recipients include customers and partners that are using Oracle products to take an environmental lead while improving business efficiencies. The awards will be presented on Monday, October 12, by Jeff Henley as part of Enabling the Eco-Enterprise with Improved Operational Efficiency, a session on environmental sustainability and Oracle products.

You'll also want to attend Transparency and Innovation: The Core of the Eco-Enterprise, earlier the same day, about Oracle tools for managing, executing, and measuring your enterprise's green initiatives. Find out about other green sessions here.

Innovation Takes Center Stage at General Sessions

With the release of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g, Oracle delivers a foundation for organizations to innovate business models, cost structures, and customer connections—while maximizing IT efficiency. At Oracle OpenWorld this Monday, be among the first see Oracle Senior Vice President Hasan Rizvi demonstrate how the latest release of Oracle Fusion Middleware delivers on the promise of the agile and intelligent enterprise. Hear how transformational technologies such as SOA, enterprise content management, business intelligence, and application grid provide the foundation for customer-driven innovation and Oracle Fusion Applications.

This session takes place Monday, October 12, at 2:30 p.m. in Moscone North, Hall D.

Got a question you'd like to ask Hasan? Leave it here in our comments section, and we'll pass it along to him before the show.