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Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle (平装)
by Matthew Symonds
| Category:
Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business success, Technology, New economy |
| Market price: ¥ 198.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 8 items |
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Amazon.com (MSL quote), USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
Softwar is a biography of Larry Ellison and his company, Oracle. As such, it's simultaneously a portrait of a clever and driven man, a case study of a successful software development company, and a tableau of the commercial software industry from its beginnings, through the dot-com craze, and into the present era. Matthew Symonds, who began this project while working as the editor of the excellent technology section of the Economist, has done a great job with all three elements of his project, thanks in no small part to the tremendous access he was given and to his close collaboration with Ellison.
Collaboration is very nearly the right word, as Ellison reviewed Symonds' manuscript before publication and, while he did not alter it, he did make a large number of comments, which appear in the book as footnotes. As Symonds is a good journalist who attributes most of his material, Ellison is able to take issue immediately with statements other people make about him and his company. The overall effect is hypertextual, and represents an important new biographical technique that other writers should imitate. Softwar succeeds because Ellison has a fantastically interesting life, tremendous experience, and carefully considered opinions, and because Symonds communicates them with clarity and style. -David Wall
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Topics covered, USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
The life, times, acquaintances, tastes, toys, and opinions of Larry Ellison, the database entrepreneur and CEO of Oracle Corporation. |
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Publishers Weekly (MSL quote), USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
Symonds was technology editor at the Economist when Ellison invited him to collaborate on a book about e-business, but the journalist decided he would rather write a profile of the software tycoon, one of Silicon Valley's most notorious figures. Oracle's database programs have become integral to the Internet and other networked computer systems, and Oracle's head is convinced that he can surpass Microsoft as the industry leader. But he's also developed a reputation for his aggressive corporate tactics and personal flamboyance. Ellison agreed to cooperate with the project, but as part of the deal, he reserved the right to respond, which he does in a series of running footnotes. Sometimes he only uses the opportunity to mouth business platitudes, but he also refutes stories, cracks jokes and even argues with other sources. Although the book deals extensively with Oracle's efforts to promote a new software package, it comes to life most when it follows Ellison outside the office-prepping his sailboat for a run at the America's Cup or overseeing the final touches on a Japanese garden complex. Symonds's near-total access to his subject leads to intimate observations that verge on personal advice, as when the writer suggests how best to handle a top Oracle executive or comments on the relationship between Ellison and his two children. But he remains objective enough to point out several mistakes in the past management of Oracle (many of which Ellison acknowledges or clarifies). Even without its unusual counterpoint, the book would stand as a compelling portrayal of one of the computer industry's most influential leaders.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. |
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Booklist (MSL quote), USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
There has been a war brewing in the software industry that most computer users don't even know about. Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, wants to supplant the current Windows-based client-server network architecture with a totally Internet-based solution that would simplify computing and make Microsoft's server software obsolete. Even now, Oracle is the dominant software in business; every time you do a Google search or buy something on Amazon.com, you are using it. Anyone who craves a play-by-play account of Ellison and the evolution of the number-one relational database in the world can really sink their teeth into this. There is a slightly bizarre twist to this high-tech tale: Ellison himself gets to throw in running commentary at the bottom of many pages, augmenting and often contradicting the author's text in his own brash style. Beware if you 're not up on your geekspeak, though, as the casual reader will get lost in all the IT systems acronyms thrown around, such as CRM, ERP, HR and TPC-C. More entertaining than the technical jargon is the ruthless backstabbing that goes on between Ellison and big-name competitors such as Microsoft, Seibel Systems, PeopleSoft and i2
Technologies. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved |
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The New York Times (MSL quote), USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
The access [Symonds] got is apparent...This access gives the reader a rare window on Ellison's mind.
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Harvard Business (MSL quote), USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
A sympathetic and revealing portrait of an idiosyncratic executive and company .... Entertaining. |
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Lisa Baertlein (MSL quote), USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
Software titan Larry Ellison has been busy scribbling footnotes to the most detailed account yet of his outsized life....He also responds and sometimes challenges the account of author Matthew Symonds - a twist in presentation that adds a real-time feel to the 500-page biography.
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BusinessWeek (MSL quote), USA
<2008-02-26 00:00>
Symonds excels at letting readers into the 59-year-old Ellison's often turbulent personal life....[and] provides a wonderful image of an Ellison who is far from being all-business. |
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1 Total 1 pages 8 items |
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