Tag: beta

Life Update : The first rule of Oracle Games Console…

Life has been a little quiet on the publishing front recently. You may have noticed I’ve not posted many new articles or blog posts of late. This situation is likely to continue for some time, and I thought I would drop a post to let you know why…

I’m currently spending most of my time playing with a certain beta product, and all of that is covered by a non disclosure agreement (NDA). Over the last few weeks I’ve written a bunch of articles, but I can’t hit the publish button on them yet. Over the coming months I’ll continue to write new articles and give feedback to Oracle, but of course you will not be seeing any of this.

Once the product goes live I’ll be able to release all this stuff, with the obligatory edits/rewrites to take account of the changes between the beta and live versions of course. The total amount of content will be no different in the long run, but there will be a baron period for a few months followed by a glut of content. I suspect this situation will be similar for a number of folks in the Oracle community.

The rules are a bit different for Oracle employees, so you will be seeing teasers for new functionality from them, but not from the rest of the community…

Over the next few months I’ll mostly be posting memes and “from the vault” links on social media, just so you don’t forget I exist, but it is going to be a relatively quiet time…

Cheers

Tim…

Free Beta Exam Vouchers : The Winners

Just before I left for OpenWorld I started a competition to win 5 vouchers for an OCP beta exam, kindly donated by Oracle Certification. I’ve just got back, so it’s time to announce the winners.

(1) In first place comes Steve Karam, with not one, not two, but three entries, including one to the tune of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I met Steve at OOW2013 and he kindly offered to forgo the prize if I felt someone else was more deserving, but he was head and shoulders above the rest, so he simply must get a prize!

(2) Next up is Luís Marques with strong entry using rhyming couplets. I think that is what they are called anyway. 🙂

(3) Osama Mustafa comes in a solid third.

(4) Daniele Pasian snagged fourth place by cleverly mentioning he is trying to convert from the dark side (SQL Server) to Oracle. If nothing else you’ve got the sympathy vote right there. 🙂

The poetry stopped at fourth place, so I switched judging criteria and reverted to first-come-first-served…

(5) For being the first entrant in the competition, the fifth prize goes to Kristy Noms Silva.

If you check your mail boxes you should find your voucher codes there. If you think you won’t get to use them, let me know and I will pass them on to one of the other entrants.

Well done to all the entrants and thank you to Oracle Certification for providing the prizes.

Cheers

Tim…

PS. If you want another chance to win, a similar competition is being run for the same exam vouchers here.

Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration (1Z1-062) beta exam : Free Voucher Competition

I’ve just been sent 5 free vouchers for the Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration (1Z1-062) beta exam! Here is an excerpt from the email…

“We are piloting this program with the Oracle Database 12c: Installation and Administration (1Z1-062) beta exam. … we have provided five (5) vouchers for free beta exams. You can use them for a giveaway on your blog if you like. Simply send the voucher number to the winner. They will enter this voucher in the appropriate field during exam registration at Pearson VUE. This beta exam is scheduled to end on October 19, 2013.”

I’m about to leave for OpenWorld 2013, so this is going to be brief. Here are the rules of the competition…

  1. The beta exam closes on the 19th October, so unless you think you can be ready to sit the exam by then, don’t bother entering. You’ll just be wasting a spot someone else could take.
  2. The voucher is only redeemable for the 1Z1-062 beta exam. You can’t use it for any other exam! You can’t wait and use it for the production exam! It’s just for this beta exam so you have to get your ass into gear!
  3. The competition will close on Saturday 28th September. I’ll announce the winners when I get back from OOW2013.
  4. You need to tell me why you need the free voucher in the comments below this blog post. Facebook and Google+ comments will not be included in the competition!
  5. Extra credit will be given for funny and/or rhyming entries. Even the slightest effort to rhyme will rocket you up the ratings, because it will make the judging more fun! You have a week, so try and be creative!
  6. I’ll be sending the voucher codes via email and confirming the email address and winning names with Oracle, so you must include a real email address and name when posting the comment.
  7. I may seek the help of friends and colleagues to help me judge the winners. I guess it depends on how many entries there are and how hard it is to judge. 🙂
  8. It’s late, I’m tired and I should be packing for OOW, so if I’ve forgotten anything, I reserve the right to modify this post a little, so keep an eye on it over the week…

Good luck!

Cheers

Tim…

QUICK LINKS