Indian developers in race for Space with Oracle

BANGALORE: Oracle India today announced The Oracle Space Sweepstakes, designed to help software developers increase their understanding and use of leading edge Java and Service Orientated Architecture (SOA) development technologies. By demonstrating expertise with Internet technologies and knowledge of Oracle's development tools and Oracle(r) Application Server, participants can enter for a chance to win a journey to suborbital space from Space Adventures Ltd., the world's leading space experiences company. The promotion is specifically open to developers in India, Korea, Australia (excluding residents of South Australia), and Singapore.

Oracle Brings Developers to Suborbital Space with Cutting-Edge Technology

One Oracle Space Sweepstakes winner from APAC will be selected to participate in a suborbital spaceflight to experience weightlessness and view the earth from 62 miles (100 kilometers) above its surface.

He or she will have the unique opportunity to participate in the historic birth of commercial space travel and help set the stage for future generations of explorers. In addition to one suborbital flight, Oracle is also giving away two Mac PowerBooks, five Apple iPods and 10 Star Wars trilogy DVD sets in the final draw.

Participants can register through the Oracle Space Sweepstakes homepage at http://oracle.com/space. Once registered, participants must complete online quizzes that are based on specific developer topics.

Official rules can be found at http://oracle.com/space. Each successfully completed quiz is counted as an entry into the drawing (limit one entry per eligible person, per unique tutorial). New topics will be rolled out each month beginning in June and concluding in August 2005. The Oracle Space Sweepstakes ends on 31 August 2005, and in September 2005 a random drawing from among all eligible entries received for the entire Entry Period will be conducted for the Sweepstakes Prizes. The sweepstakes is handled by Marden-Kane, Manhasset, New York, USA.

The quiz questions will be based on the latest Java and SOA technologies, including Struts, J2EE persistence / EJB 3.0, Java coding and optimization, Application Development Frameworks, JavaServer Faces, application deployment and manageability and Web Services and Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). Participants will also test Oracle JDeveloper 10g, Oracle Application Server Containers for J2EE (OC4J) 10g, Oracle BPEL Process Manager 10g and Oracle TopLink 10g to successfully complete the Oracle Space Sweepstakes quizzes.

Oracle's Commitment to the Growing Developer Community in Asia Pacific including India

"Oracle is highly committed to developers particularly in Asia Pacific, a fast growing development community. This region is primed to take advantage of the latest in development skills and technology expertise to grow its own economy and expand its reach internationally," said Krishan Dhawan, managing director, Oracle India Pvt. Ltd.

The Asia Pacific region is set to become the largest market for software developers by 2006, according to figures released by IDC in April 2005. IDC predicts that the total number of professional developers worldwide is set to soar over the next few years, from 10.1 million in 2004 to 14.9 million in 2008. India is one of the countries tipped to see the most rapid expansion, with predicted compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of 24.5 percent. The growth of professional developers in India and other countries in Asia will help the Asia Pacific region to overtake America in 2006 and become the largest market for professional coders. (IDC Report, April 2005, The 2004 IDC Professional Developer Model).

Mr. Dhawan added, "Oracle's Development Tools and Application Server are second to none, enabling developers to build Service Oriented Applications, rich user interfaces and business processes much more productively - rather than just the 'plumbing' they experience from competing offerings. We are the only vendor that allows newer Java developers to quickly become productive while minimizing tedious low-level coding for more experienced developers. This sweepstakes highlights these features and challenges developers to win an opportunity that is literally out of this world."

"We are extremely excited to partner with Oracle to offer developers this exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be among the first private citizens in space. As humans, we have an inherent desire to explore our world and surroundings. Suborbital space travel will enable thousands to experience what only a few hundred have before them," said Eric Anderson, president and CEO of Space Adventures. "In recent years, we've seen a growing interest in commercial space travel from the Asia Pacific region and now, through the Oracle Space Sweepstakes, a lucky contestant will fly to the edge of space!"