We are daily using Oracle products and my impression is that previously most things they have done has been extremely tightly coupled. As an example, OC4J do not follow the standard JSP debugging API, and thus you will have to use JDeveloper if you want that feature. They have also had a tendency to store everything in their database.
On the other hand you have TopLink, which of course recommends an Oracle database. But it works with most databases, and is set up outside JDeveloper. They seem to have an open mind for integrating with most other products, and this seems to be another move in the right direction. It might not be easy to use, but it’s possible. But that is probably not the most important aspect. By publishing articles like this they are signaling that they understand that developers want to choose the necessary technologies without beeing forced to used other components. Or maybe they just understand that the market demands it. 😉
I’m very satisfied with TopLink. If this continues I might even start liking Oracle. 😉