ComputerWorld: Open source databases bloom

“All of the packages come with open-source licenses, an option that often makes them free to
obtain, but new options for purchasing support are evolving as companies try to undercut the
major proprietary competitors. Everyone is acutely aware of the high cost of packages from
Oracle Corp. and IBM, and several major players are trying to sell sophisticated support with
open-source databases.”

“… Calvin Dodge, a database developer at Linko Data Systems Inc. in Lakewood, Colo., says the
advantages of slick, polished and professional databases are overstated for everything except
small projects. Dodge argues – and many other developers agree – that the difference disappears
once you need to start writing code. All databases, both proprietary and open source, require
some time to learn their quirks, he says.
”

All of the packages come with open-source licenses, an option that often makes them free to
obtain, but new options for purchasing support are evolving as companies try to undercut the
major proprietary competitors. Everyone is acutely aware of the high cost of packages from
Oracle Corp. and IBM, and several major players are trying to sell sophisticated support with
open-source databases.