Why do you think that database environments are so expensive?

Answer 1

Not all are expensive - some are free (see MySQL, PostgreSQL). However, for the ones that are expensive (SQL Server, Oracle, et al), it's a simple matter of development costs and sales volume. Database environments are for companies, not individuals.

That means that the number of sales will typically be in the hundreds of thousands of units, vs something like Windows or Office that sell hundreds of millions of units. If it costs Microsoft 500 million dollars to develop SQL Server and 500 million to develop Office, and one will sell thousands of copies and one will sell millions, then SQL Server needs to be priced much higher for them to make any money.

Answer 2

Define "expensive". Are you talking just about the software, or also about the hardware? And what about service? And how about the load and user numbers? And what about features?

As an analog, take a look at cars. There are expensive and cheap cars. Some of them are worthy of the cost, some aren't. Now, compare with a bus. Assume a bus costs $100,000 while a car cost $20,000. But a bus drives 50 people while a car only 5, so a bus costs $2000/seat while a car $4000/seat. Is the bus more expensive than the car?

Answer 3

MSSQL, SyBase, Oracle are expensive because they are still being purchased even at the skyhigh prices they ask.

Reason: No real competition......MySQL in coming into it's own and when it matures and becomes a more accepted business solution, the others will come down.

If you had the only widget, and everyone wanted it, you could dictate the price.......if 20 others had a comparable widget at a much lower cost of entry, you very well couldn't afford to keep your prices high.

Give it time..........MySQL is scalable.......and from what I understand, is being used by Yahoo for major implementations due to cost.

Answer 4

but i can buy all of theme free even Microsoft SQL server ! ;)