Took me a while to get through this one. And there were times when I wondered if I ever would. Softwar is a long book. Around 450 pages, if memory serves me. The book is a biography of sorts. It covers not only the life and tmes of software mogul Larry Ellison, but also the ups and downs of the multi-billion dollar company he founded, Oracle. I enjoyed some parts of this book. The stuff about the origins of Oracle (the company made groundbreaking strides in database programming), Ellison’s personal life (he went from being a foster child to one of the world’s richest men) and even some of the stuff about yacht racing (a longtime passion of Ellison’s) made for compelling reading. But the rest of the book is filled with coverage of Oracle’s inner workings. And it’s very, very dry. Readers who have an interest in workplace intrigue, stocks, deadlines and the various challenges faced by a big business, may appreciate these portions of the book. I had a tough time getting through them. In fact, I found myself skimming over most of the last few chapters. Still, I don’t want to paint this book in too much of a negative light. I guess i was just hoping for more of a straight-ahead biography of Ellison. And granted, you can’t tell the story of Ellison without covering some of Oracle’s life, too. Either way, I’m glad to have finished Softwar. Now, I’m gonna have to read some fluffy piece of fiction to clear my mental palate of this weighty tome.