I have worked with the Oracle database for six years and haven't had any major issues with error messages, in fact I'd say Oracle did a really great job building an amazing database.
Pros:
- pl/sql (I like it more than other flavors of sql, maybe because it was the first one I used a lot)
-pl sql developer. Not the java one (sql developer). I loved that you could see tabs in a list and in general it was smooth. I still keep a thin client in my spare drive and use it with delight from time to time
Cons:
-Installing and maintaining Oracle. But it wasn't terrible either
-Having to read Burleston posts. Not sure if this has improved
I know I am biased by my experience, I've heard many horror stories. I wouldn't choose Oracle today, but having to develop for it wouldn't scare me either
pl/sql is not a flavor of SQL, it is a name for the separate SQL-based “procedural” (imperative) language (hence the “pl”) supported by Oracle. The Oracle SQL dialect is usually referred to as “Oracle SQL” if there is a need to distinguish it.
It's amazing to see how calmly they handle managing Oracle, but their argumentation is also very Oracle-like: It's not a database problem, you're just using it wrong. Which would be a terrible answer, if they weren't right. I think most of us forget that for all the terribleness of Oracle, they actually do build a very stable and performant database, assuming you can afford it.
Error returned: "ORA-00907: missing right parenthesis"
Am I using Oracle wrong? No. It's a tool and CTEs are supported. Ergo the error message is an issue since it is not descriptive of the actual issue.