Re: 6 Why is Oracle expensive?

>------------------------- Original Article -------------------------
>I am curious at something. I called Oracle a while ago and asked for
>the price for Oracle for a P.C. They told me it would cost about
>$1,800. That is for the database and the tools.
>
>Also, someone told me that they just paid $40,000 for Oracle for a
>Sun workstation! Gaak!!
>
>What gets me curious is with Microsoft offering Access at about $100,
>will we see Oracle prices going down? Is Oracle starting to feel the
>pinch from Microsoft and Borland and others who offer cheaper
>databases?
>
>I can see how Oracle got away with charging these kind of prices
>when they were the only game around. Now with Microsoft getting
>involved I am hoping to see Oracle for PC's at similar prices. I
>currently use it at work and would not mind getting it if I could
>for $100 to $200.
>
>Mark
>
You're comparing apples and bricks. Admittedly Oracle is not the cheapest stuff around, but it offers enterprise wide computing. Access, Paradox et al are great for the desktop but I wouldn't want 100's or 1000's of users running off one PC based DBMS (even if it is technically possible). Depending on your platform Oracle haven't been the only game around for some time (e.g. Informix on unix, RdB on DEC etc) but despite this they still have an enormous market share. Either we're all sheep or they're doing something right!

When Microsoft or Borland are developing they are targeting one specific platform: the desktop, but Oracle aims at just about every platform. This costs cash. I, for one, wouldn't find it fair if PC users didn't pay their share of this cost.

Regrds,
David TvE

David Thornewill von Essen                email: ttg242_at_email.sps.mot.com
Motorola ASIC Division                      fax: (602) 814-4451
1300 N. Alma Scholl Rd
Chandler, AZ-85224                   Usual thoughts are my own disclaimer