These Go to Eleven: Type 5 JDBC Drivers > Type 4+1

If you've never seen the above clip from the cult classic This is Spinal Tap, take a minute to watch it.

Since we first introduced the idea of JDBC Type 5 drivers to the Java community, one of the two main reactions to it has been:

"Type 5 JDBC? That sounds a lot like 'These go to eleven'."

While it's easy (and admittedly more funny) to mock something you don't fully understand or appreciate, it's much harder to openly admit, "I don't get it". In the interest of full disclosure, the first time I heard the idea of JDBC Type 5, I also had this reaction, and it's not just because I am a fan of This is Spinal Tap. :)

After admitting my ignorance and taking the time to listen and discuss the idea with colleagues, however, I came around to the second, more common reaction that we are receiving to this concept:

"Sounds good...but where can I get a Type 5 JDBC driver?"

As of today, Progress Software has announced the availability of the world's first Type 5 JDBC drivers for Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, MySQL, and Informix - the Progress DataDirect Connect for JDBC  drivers. We invite anyone to download a free, 15 day evaluation of the drivers and try them out.

If you're not quite ready to test or are still unconvinced that JDBC Type 5 is little more than "Type 4 + 1", then I invite you to attend the webinar that I am hosting next week entitled, These Go to Eleven: Are Type 5 JDBC Drivers More Than Just Type 4+1? In it, I will present specific examples of how our Connect for JDBC drivers solve the limitations of some of the most common Type 4 JDBC drivers in use today.

Neither Progress Software nor I have a monopoly on conversation about Type 5 or JDBC, therefore I welcome comments and questions on this topic both here and during my webinar. I promise no submitters will be the subject of an upcoming mockumentary on the topic. :)