My recent post accusing Oracle of lying about its chief rival was close enough to the mark to get under Oracle’s skin. Still, it had some holes I couldn’t fill, not least of which because of different reporting periods for the two companies. But if I had half the accounting skills of my colleague at ZDNet, Dennis Howlett, I could have done a better job of proving my point. I shall endeavor to learn at the master’s feet.
At issue, Oracle took a largely specious shot at SAP, contending in the press release accompanying its earnings report this week that it “took market share from SAP in every region around the world.” My point, however awkwardly expressed, was that Oracle is comparing its entire revenue to that of SAP, while the companies don’t actually compete in all areas; the numbers, which don’t lie, show that Oracle’s growth is fueled chiefly by database and middleware, not business applications, which is the only area where the two companies compete.
To read more, please see Separating SAP From Chaff on my BNET Technology blog.
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