Oracle version numbers, like the product packaging we discuss in the next section, have more to do with the marketplace than the technology. The Oracle database, like all software products, has a periodic release cycle, but the exact timing and contents of those releases is shaped, to some degree, by sales requirements as well as the development cycle. Because of nontechnical factors, the naming conventions for versions can change at any time.
As of this writing, Oracle seems to have settled on a consistent version naming scheme. Up until Oracle8, each major version was named with an increasing version number (e.g., Oracle6, Oracle7, Oracle8). However, the release after Oracle8 was named Oracle8i, connecting it with the Internet (and causing formatting problems for authors ever since!). The next version was named Oracle9i, and the upcoming version is slated to be called Oracle10i—although that may change by the time the version is released.
Typically, the OracleNi versions have had an intermediate release, also typically identified as Release 2. Release 2s generally are the first major maintenance release; they follow the main release and frequently contain enhancements that were planned for the main release but that could not make the deadline.
This book assumes that Oracle8 was the beginning of time. Any features that were not present in that version are not discussed. Any features that were added or dropped since then are duly noted.
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