Oracle Shells Out $1B To Buy ATG

wiredmikey writes "Oracle announced this morning that it would pay $1.0 Billion in cash to acquire ATG, a provider of high-end e-commerce software."

Comments

Why would they buy Andre the Giant?

[digitaldc]

Is this their new database code name?

Here's the list of patents acquired:

[ciaran_o_riordan]

http://en.swpat.org/wiki/Oracle#ATG_patents_acquired

Re:Here's the list of patents acquired:

[ledow]

All mainly software patents, by the look of it, and generic ones at that. A 1999 patent for pushing session-state information to a backup server, to a 2001 patent for an embedded web link in a document. All crap, by the look of it, and a lot of them only filed (not issued) and all of them pretty much of the "patent bandwagon" type (i.e. "John patented a web link last week, let's see if we can patent something just as obvious and well-used!"). There's even one there for shipping out a customer's order in a different order for efficiency. Let's patent using a lever to reduce work next!

I don't see anything that holds much clout, but they are likely to have some Java patents, or at least something along those lines.

Sorry Oracle, your recent actions make me extremely suspicious and I don't even *try* to think it might be an innocent purchase any more. See what destroying reputations does? (and, really, I'm not sorry for Oracle at all).

Brand value.

[zrbyte]

By combining forces, Oracle and ATG expect to help businesses grow revenue, strengthen customer loyalty, improve brand value, achieve better operating results, and increase business agility across online and traditional commerce environments...

I just wish they cared this much for the Open Office brand. Oh, wait that doesn't make money for Mr. Shareholder. Too bad.

Re:Firsrt question

[afidel]

Yep, at ~$1M per customer Oracle's obviously expecting some serious revenue generation from this acquisition.

Using ATG in 1998...

[dmorin]

I was using ATG's products back in 1998. This was before even Java Server Pages had caught on (one of my great regrets in life was having the opportunity to write a JSP book and turning it down :( ). If I remember correctly they even told us that Sun used some of their patents in developing JSP (though don't hold me to that, it was a long time ago). Their technology was very ColdFusion-like, trying to create an entire programming language complete with conditionals and looping structures all inside a markup syntax. But once you got used to it, it was very powerful. We ran our entire ecommerce platform on it for buying and selling mutual funds, encompassing 16 business units. It was a fun company, founded by some wanna-be rockstars (Jeet, really - not so much Joe). They threw a heck of a party. At least one of them ended with a shirtless Jeet playing guitar inside a gogo-dancer's cage. Ah, memories. I think that was the party that took place in New Orleans, where I bumped into my very drunk "customer advocate" coming down Bourbon Street, who asked me if I was having a good time. Apparently not as good as he was. Funny story - I got a tour of the place once. This was during a time when we were trying to use their brand new adapter for the content management system Documentum, and it was not going well. During the tour, before being shown engineering, my tour guide (Hi, Katja!) paused and asked me if I could identify my technical contact by sight. I said no, so the tour continued. I honestly think they were afraid I was going to make a scene. I used to own some stock, I'll have to go see if I ever dumped it.

Re:Using ATG in 1998...

[AtlantaSteve]

I think that was the party that took place in New Orleans...

Ah, yes. Around 2000 or 2001, my then-employer rewarded some overtime by sending me to New Orleans for the "ATG Open"... ATG's version of Java One. ATG hired a hundred or so jazz musicians to stand around the hallways of the hotel playing music all day. They hired a few dozen more people to dress up as the company mascot (a square with a dot in the center), just to stand around the hallways for the hell of it waving to everyone. Free booze was everywhere, and at night the hotel conference rooms were turned into dance parties with half-naked women suspended from the ceilings in cages.

On the last day, they closed off Bourbon Street for a parade with all the musicians and weird "dot" mascots. That night they rented out the freaking Superdome for a jazz/rock concert, along with carnival rides and a field goal kicking contest (NOTE: Football kickers deserve respect, 25 yards is a LONG way!). On our way out, they gave each attendee hundreds of dollars worth of premium-quality swag... designer pens, football jerseys, and a weekend luggage bag that I still take to the gym today.

I miss the dot-com years.

Good thing about it....

[mseeger]

The good thing about this deal? No OSS community to be driven off....

Re:Good thing about it....

[mseeger]

I have been a Sun Partner for nearly 20 years. Those Oracle types managed to break the relationship it without breaking any sweat within less than 12 months.

I don't think it's FOSS that is the problem with Oracle. My guess is more about the sales type. There are hunter and farmers. Oracle is 100% hunter. FOSS guys tend to be farmer

CU, Martin

Re:Firsrt question

[Saija]

Maybe this:

• System and method for interfacing and separating formatted content and program code
• Method and system for constructing personalized result sets
• Method and system for load balancing and management
• Electronic message distribution
• Internet server session backup apparatus
• Electronic message routing
• Flexible order structure
• Remote media control for voice over internet telephony and related applications
• Caller identification and voice/data synchronization for internet telephony and related applications
• Universal internet based telephony system that provides ubiquitous access for subscribers from any terminal device
• Internet telephony for ecommerce
• Voice-controlled data/information display for internet telephony and integrated voice and data communications using telephones and computing devices
• Method and apparatus for the prevention of unwanted calls in a callback system

Re:Back

[Nadaka]

Citation for what?

Tea party direct funding? it is a matter of public record.

Attack advertising against tea party opponents payed for by shadow corporations? Sorry, thanks to recent supreme court cases, they no longer have to disclose that info.

Warfare for profit waged by the ultra rich against the middle class and poor? Sorry, to much information for me to cite, you just have to research it yourself.

The wealthy are growing wealthier while the middle class and poor are becoming poorer. When a FOX news pundit accuses someone of practicing class warfare, what they really mean is someone dared to resist the war waged against the American people. Jobs are slashed to boost quarterly net profit to manipulate stock prices. Fewer jobs for average people while corporations are more profitable than ever.

I am an American patriot. I am sick and tired of my country going to hell so someone that doesn't have to work can become even wealthier at my expense by sacrificing the future of the country I love for temporary boost in profit.

Republicans/tea party/democrats/libertarians are all a part of the problem, some more than others. I am not proposing a grand conspiracy, but rather a systematic flaw in the system that is creating a feedback loop that will eventually lead us to ruin.

Re:Firsrt question

[gstoddart]

You mean like "The next release of the ecommerce suite runs on Oracle/Weblogic app server only".

Exactly. I can guarantee that Oracle will change that software to require Oracle. That's what companies that grow through acquisition do, is move the existing customer base to use their product.

And, then once you've made them buy an Oracle for the eCommerce app, you might as well buy one for the rest of your enterprise data. And you're gonna need equipment and a maintenance agreement -- you always need a maintenance agreement.

Before long, your enterprise runs on Oracle, you have a maintenance agreement for each machine doing it -- oh, and since it's Oracle you need 3x the hardware to do what you used to do before since there is a small fleet of machines needed to support Oracle's solutions. Especially now that they are the hardware vendor.

Me, I can see some of the users of this software being on the hook for tens of millions of dollars each year once the Oracle licensing machine is through with them. Oracle will try to bleed them dry as much as they can manage.