Milestone
1977 Software Development Laboratories, the precursor to Oracle, is founded by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates.
1978 Oracle Version 1, written in assembly language, runs on PDP-11 under RSX, in 128K of memory. Implementation separates Oracle code and user code. Oracle V1 is never officially released.
1979 Oracle Version 2, the first commercial SQL relational database management system, is released. The company changes its name to Relational Software Inc. (RSI).
1982 Relational Software Inc. (RSI) gets a new name—Oracle Systems—and hosts its first user conference, in San Francisco.
1983 Oracle Version 3, built on the C programming language, is the first RDBMS to run on mainframes, minicomputers, and PCs—giving customers the ability to use the software in almost any enterprise computing environment.
1984 Larry Ellison tells Computerworld magazine, “I’ve said that by 1985 everybody will be buying relational DBMS. It looks like that’s coming true.”
1985 Oracle keeps pace with emerging computing models with the release of Oracle Version 5, one of the first relational database systems to operate in client/server environments. 1986 Oracle goes public on the NASDAQ exchange.
1987 Already the world’s largest database company, Oracle launches a new effort to build enterprise applications that take advantage of the powerful Oracle Database.
1988 Oracle Version 6 debuts with several major advances: Row-level locking allows multiple users to work in the same table by processing only the specific data used in a transaction. Hot backup reduces system maintenance overhead by allowing employees to continue working in the system while administrators duplicate and archive data. PL/SQL allows users to process data while it remains in the database.
1989 Oracle prepares for the internet boom—a decade before it happens—with database support of online transaction processing (OLTP). Oracle moves its headquarters to its signature Redwood Shores, California, campus.
1990 Only three years after creating an applications division, the company launches Oracle Applications Release 8, which includes accounting programs designed for the emerging client/server computing environment.
1992 Oracle7 wins industry acclaim and customer support as a database with groundbreaking functionality and several architectural changes.
1993 Oracle is the first software company to rewrite business applications for client/server environments, automating business processes from a centralized data center.
1994 Oracle earns the industry’s first independent security evaluations, adding third-party assurance of the strength of Oracle’s products.
1995 Oracle becomes the first major software company to announce a comprehensive internet strategy.
1996 With Oracle7 Release 7.3, Oracle delivers Universal Server, allowing customers to use Oracle to manage any type of data—text, video, maps, sound, or images.
1998 With Oracle8 Database and Oracle Applications 10.7, Oracle is the first enterprise computing company to embrace the Java programming language.
1999 Only four years after Oracle announced a Web strategy, internet capabilities saturate every Oracle offering, from support for open standard technologies such as XML and Linux to the latest versions of Oracle product lines, such as Oracle Applications 11i and Oracle8i Database.
2000 Oracle ships Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11i, the industry’s first integrated suite of enterprise applications.
2001 Oracle9i Database adds Oracle Real Application Clusters, giving customers the option to run their IT on connected, low-cost servers—expanding performance, scalability, and availability of the database.
2002 Oracle launches the “Unbreakable” campaign to mark the unprecedented 15 independent security evaluations earned by Oracle Database.
2003 Oracle debuts Oracle Database 10g, the first grid computing product available for the enterprise. Oracle Grid Computing serves computing power across the enterprise as a utility, automatically shifting processing loads based on demand.
2004 Executives declare Oracle “the Information Company” and make bold moves to secure the com-pany’s position as the only software vendor capable of addressing growing demands for data-intense business practices.
2005 Oracle completes the acquisition of applications rival PeopleSoft and announces its intention to acquire Siebel Systems. The deals—just two among the dozens of companies Oracle purchased in the mid-2000s—signal the beginning of an era of consolidation in the software industry.
2006 Oracle deepens a 30-year commitment to open standards computing with Unbreakable Linux—giving customers the same level of support for Linux as they expect for other Oracle products. The move in effect certifies the operating system for enterprise computing.
