About the OakTable Network

In and by itself, the OakTable network is just a bunch of people who would like to talk to and be in contact with like-minded people—that is, people with a scientific approach (and inquiring mind) regarding Oracle's database technology.

It all started sometime in 1998 when a group of Oracle experts, including Anjo Kolk, Cary Millsap, James Morle, and a few others, started meeting once or twice a year, on various pretexts. Each would bring a bottle of Scotch or Bourbon and in return earn the right to sleep on the floor somewhere in my house.

We spent most of our time sitting around my dining table, with computers, cabling, paper, and other stuff all over the place, discussing Oracle, relaying anecdotes, and experimenting with new and better ways of working with the database. By the spring of 2002, the whole thing had grown. One evening, I realized that I had 16 world-renowned Oracle scientists sitting around my dining table. We were sleeping three or four to a room and even had to borrow the neighbor's shower in the mornings. Anjo Kolk suggested we call ourselves the “OakTable network” (after my dining table), and about 2 minutes later, http://www.OakTable.net was registered.