I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Oracle in Jan 2008
Interview
Contacted by recruiter; two screenings by recruiter followed by in person meeting with recruiter led to a phone screen with an engineer at Oracle. Next were three rounds of interviews followed by a 1:1 with the hiring manager. In all cases interviews included very specific technical questions as well as generic algorithmic problems. After receiving positive hiring decision I waited another 3 months for their offer. Fortunately I had some contract work at the time so could afford to wait.