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 enlarge | Author: Matthew Symonds
Creator: Larry Ellison
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy New: $4.93
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Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 355329
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0743225058
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.7610053
EAN: 9780743225052
ASIN: 0743225058
Publication Date: August 31, 2004
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Condition: Pub date: 2004. Condition: BRAND NEW. New book with publisher's mark on edge. We are a tested and proven company with over 300,000 satisfied customers since 1997. Delivery confirmation on all US orders. Choose expedited shipping for delivery in 2-6 busin
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| Customer Reviews:
 Highly Recommended March 1, 2004
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book is a comprehensive, detailed collection of Larry Ellison anecdotes and quotes from people around him. Author Matthew Symonds occasionally interjects himself, but mostly lets his sources talk. Perhaps for fairness, he quotes many people who disagree with each other about important decisions at Oracle. Perhaps for journalistic objectivity, he generally refrains from judgment. This shows the reader every perspective, even if it doesn't define context, chronology or direction. You get all of the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, though you may want a clearer box top picture. Some of the technology coverage will intrigue only tech industry buffs, but overall you will learn a great deal of interesting information about Ellison and Oracle. We also found that Ellison's character came most into focus when the book entered the world of yacht racing, his passion. The author also includes poignant, revealing anecdotes about Ellison's childhood and candid reports about his personal life. Larry Ellison was allowed to review the manuscript and his comments appear as counterbalancing footnotes on many pages. That guy, he always does things a new way - as you will see.
A Great Book about a Very Interesting Company February 5, 2004
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
A fascinating book. I should note that I worked at Oracle for 12 years (1989-1991), though much too far down in the hierarchy to have had dealings with Larry Ellison himself. But when Symonds writes about the people that I did know and work for and with, he hasn't struck a single false note. He has captured very accurately the Oracle culture--a lot of very bright and very driven people, with of course a few inevitable mistakes thrown in.In this book, Ellison comes over as one of the most insightful leaders in SV in the 80s and 90s. I wasn't always able to see this side of him, as I kept hearing negative reports from those who had been subjected to his (earlier, and admitted by him in this book to have been wrong) MBR (management by ridicule) approach. I believe Symonds has done an accurate evaluation of Ellison, and Ellison, in his footnotes, comes over as a thoughtful person able to admit where he was wrong.
 Some interesting history January 20, 2004
2 out of 11 found this review helpful
I was intersted in the history of relational. There is one lamentably brief chapter: System R, Sybase, Ingres, two-phased commit, stored procedures, etc. Apparently 4 was the first version written in C.
By the way, what happened to Power Objects (Oracle's answer to Visual Basic)? A victim of Ellison's internet epiphany, I assume?
Most is management history: Ray Lane, Geoff Squire etc. Good if you're interested. You'll probably want to skip the girlfriends and sailboats.
Larry gets the last word December 30, 2003
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
My first fear when I bought 'Softwar' was that Matthew Symonds would be overwhelmed by the aura of Larry Ellison, resulting in a glowing whitewash of the man and his empire. Biographers' tendency to succumb to Stockholm Syndrome is all too typical, particularly when the author is granted generous access to a charismatic subject and those who work for him. (Read 'The New New Thing' by Michael Lewis for a case study of this unfortunate phenomenon.) But Symonds manages to be reasonably balanced in this informative and entertaining portrait of Ellison and Oracle Corp.The most interesting part of the book, to me, was the footnotes penned by Larry himself, a quid pro quo for the two years of access to Ellison's life that Symonds received. Ellison is humorous, humble and scathingly disparaging of his enemies (heads up Gates and Siebel!) in hundreds of footnotes scattered throughout the book. Sure, it's a bit frustrating that Larry always has the last word on controversial issues. And his attempts to spin the story may turn your stomach at times. But 'Softwar' would be a much drier read without Ellison's contributions. Besides, you're always free to make up your own mind when Larry's version of reality comes across as a little too convenient. At the end of the day, 'Softwar' may be the best Ellison bio out there, and a great read for folks who are interested in a classic American success story.
Merry X'mas Larry December 15, 2003
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I particularly enjoyed the pictures in this book -- especially the one when Larry was little holding his good brother. He continues to hold various things and people that are dear to his heart. I also like the fact that Larry starts to think about philanthropy, not just as competition to Bill Gates, but as something he wishes to take active control of. It is about time. Melanie Craft is beautiful, although I prefer her sleepy-eyed look in the past over her eyes-wide-open look nowadays. It is a gift to be able to stay by Larry's side for so long.
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