Tech Tip du Jour: IDS is cheaper than supported MySQL or PostgreSQL

Non-geeks may want to look away now.

There was a discussion on comp.databases.informix between two arrogant, opinionated arseholes:

Ian Michael Gumby wrote:
the support license costs [for MySQL or PostgreSQL] are much less than those of IBM or Oracle.

Obnoxio The Clown replied
Are you absolutely sure of that?

Ian Michael Gumby wrote:
OTC, yeah I'm sure. Unless you're also including certain very large customers who qualify for J level discount and then negotiate a 90% discount on top of that.

But that's not the market that we're talking about. We're talking about the SMB customer who at best could get a 20-25% discount from list.

You can check the prices and maintenance renewal.

Since I'm babysitting tonight, I cracked open my trusty business partner's guide to pricing:

Assuming a single-CPU Intel box (which isn't entirely unreasonable for an SMB):

• Picking a PostgreSQL support vendor at random, I got a price of $2995 per annum for support. (Plus the bastard is in the US, so no bloody use to me.)
• MySQL is also $2995 for support.
• IDS Express Edition is $1035 for support. (Plus I get to speak to the wonderful, patient and mild-mannered Big Potatoe!)

So, for a five year period:

PostgreSQL: $14975
MySQL: $14975
IDS: $9315

And that's list. And pretty SMB.

The resident Oracle shill then piped up:

And if IDS were free one might use your numbers as an argument in its favor: Alas it is not. Why don't you put up all of the relevant numbers?

Let's see:
Oracle SE1 $7,076 with support.
SQL Server SE $5,999 with support.

Really whipping them into a frenzy there OTC.

But, as I replied: for $9135, you get to use Informix. You may as well compare a BMW with a Kia Picanto. I know what I'd rather work with. (And the license costs are included.)

Gumby then said he was talking about the full-fat, Enterprise Edition. But really, if someone wants to buy that, then it's all a lot more complicated, Oracle EE pricing goes way up, there's all sorts of option buying and stuff that PostgreSQL and MySQL can't do or can only do with lots of buggering around and extra costs.

I reckon if they're looking at supported PostgreSQL or supported MySQL, then really, Express Edition IDS is more than adequate.

There, Timmy, are you happy now?

That has got to be the dullest blog post I've ever made here.