* Oracle Data Provider
<ul>
	<li>Exists in namespace System.Data.OracleClient and assembly System.Data.OracleClient</li>

	<li>Works on Windows</li>
	
	<li>Works with Oracle 8i</li>
	
	<li>More information about Oracle can be found at <a href="http://www.oracle.com/"/>here</a></li>

</ul>
	
* Current Status

<ul>
	<li>OracleConnection can connect to an Oracle 8i database on 
	Windows via oci.dll</li>
	
	<li>The native glue library only has makefiles for Borland C++ and
	Microsoft Visual C++ command line compilers.  Only the makefile for
	Microsoft Visual C++ command-line compiler has been tested.</li>
	
	<li>Can execute simple DML SQL statements, such as, 
	INSERT a row into the EMP table via the OracleCommand's ExecuteNonQuery method</li>
	
	<li>The System.Data.OracleClient.dll assembly can be built with mcs/mono via
	the makefile.gnu for System.Data.OracleClient or csc/.net via the
	System.Data.OracleClient.build nant build file.   There is also a Visual Studio.NET 
	solution it too.
	   
</ul>
	
* Action Plan

<ul>
	<li>Get the makefile for the Borland C++ compiler to work 
	since the <a href="http://www.borland.com/">Borland</a> C++ compiler is
	a free download</li>
	<li>Get the native glue lib System.Data.OracleClient.ocigule.dll to be built
	using gcc on Linux.  This would require that Oracle 8i client software be installed
	on Linux with the oci headers and shared libraries</li>
	<li>Be able to retrieve results via a data reader</li>
	<li>Parameters support</li>
	<li>Stored Procedures, Functions, and Packages support</li>
	<li>Be able to fill a DataTable in a DataSet via a data adapter</li>
	<li>Support for Oracle 9i</li>
	<li>Figure out how to move the unmanaged OCI handling code in 
	the oci glue C library to the managed C# assembly.  I have been unable 
	to successfully connect to an Oracle 8i database by using Platform Invoke and
	Marshalling in C# to the oci shared library (oci.dll on Windows)</li>
	
</ul>