[LUGSB] Mandriva...Fed 4 on the desktop...

[fitchtom at honestsql.net]

To give an example,

I have a client, they make decent $ but are very cost sensitive.

Currently they have 6 Large SQL 2000 Enterprise servers in Mission Critical 
positions.  Then they have 4 or 5 passive and support systems also running 
SQL 2000 Enterprise.

They are looking at upgrading these servers all to SQL 2005 and Windows 2003 
and some of them to 64bit as well.

If you look at the pricing (From Microsoft's site) below you can see how 
insane this gets very quickly.

When presented with a zero software cost option how can they not at least 
investigate the possibilities?

Production Licenses Retail Pricing1 Example Pricing2
Processor License
 Enterprise Edition
$19,999 US per processor
 Enterprise Edition
$19,128 US per processor

Processor License
 Standard Edition
$4,999 US per processor
 Standard Edition
$4,781 US per processor

Processor License
 Workgroup Edition
$3,899 US per processor
 Workgroup Edition
$3,700 US per processor

Server plus Device CALs
 Enterprise Edition
$11,099 US with 25 CALs
 Enterprise Edition
$6,382 US per server
$ 146 US per device

Server plus Device CALs
 Standard Edition
$1,489 US with 5 CALs
$2,249 US with 10 CALs
 Standard Edition
$667 US per server
$146 US per device

Server plus Device CALs
 Workgroup Edition
$739 US with 5 CALs
$1,478 US with 10 CALs

 Workgroup Edition
$730 US per server

Server plus User CALs
 Enterprise Edition
$11,099 US with 25 CALs
 Enterprise Edition
$6,382 US per server
$ 146 US per user

Server plus User CALs
 Standard Edition
$1,489 US with 5 CALs
$2,249 US with 10 CALs

 Standard Edition
$667 US per server
$146 US per user

1



Product Offering  U.S. Price* Description
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition $999 Available in 32-bit and 64-bit 
versions. Includes 5 CALs (User or Device, chosen after purchase)
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition $1,199 Available in 32-bit and 64-bit 
versions. Includes 10 CALs (User or Device, chosen after purchase)
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition $3,999 Available in 32-bit and 
64-bit versions. Includes 25 CALs (User or Device, chosen after purchase)
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition ** Available in 32-bit and 64-bit 
versions. Includes 5 CALs (User or Device, chosen after purchase)
Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, 32-bit version $399 Open NL Web Server 
product, no CALs required. Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, is not 
available in all channels. Open NL estimated price is $399. Contact your 
local System Builder, OEM, or reseller for actual prices or for more 
information on how to purchase.


Client Access Licenses U.S. Price* Description
Windows Server 2003, Client Access License 5-pack $199 5 additional Windows 
Server 2003 CALs (User or Device, chosen at time of purchase)
Windows Server 2003, Client Access License 20-pack $799 20 additional 
Windows Server 2003 CALs (User or Device, chosen at time of purchase)
Windows Server 2003, TS Client Access License 5-pack $749 5 additional 
Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server (TS) CALs (User or Device, chosen at 
time of purchase)
Windows Server 2003, TS Client Access License 20-pack $2,979 20 additional 
Windows Server 2003 TS CALs (User or Device, chosen at time of purchase)



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "cbwright" <cbwright at ic.sunysb.edu>
To: "Linux Users Group at Stony Brook" <lugsb at fsl.cs.sunysb.edu>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 5:20 PM
Subject: Re: [LUGSB] Mandriva...Fed 4 on the desktop...


> fitchtom said:
>> What is going to be very interesting over the next couple years is the
>> amount of people switching over to Linux.
>>
>> The price of MS 2003 server versions, the Activation licensing and the
>> price  of the new SQL 2005 are going to force a lot of companies
>> to take another look at Linux for both server and desktop.  The
>> financial  case is getting stronger every day.
>
> Hate to be the devil's advocate, but you'd need a few prerequisites to
> make people comfortable with switching to Linux. The main issue is
> inertia. Novell excluded, most corporations don't suddenly decide that
> they should switch to Linux. There has to be a specific issue in which
> the costs of each system are compared, and staying with current hardware
> and software will be an option until the software becomes dated. That
> doesn't happen often. When it does, there'll be retraining costs to
> consider.
>
> Other than that, I'd say if Debian (for instance) merely keeps up on the
> more interesting features of other distros and ports them to its main
> branch--and maintains a set of defaults to make setup simple--then Linux
> won't be thought of as a mosh pit with a compiler anymore. (On the other
> hand, it would probably kill certain projects and force others
> together--if the central distro chooses GNOME, what happens to KDE,
> Fluxbox, and Enlightenment?) Once Linux is (at least on the outside)
> somewhat centralized, it'll gain fair acceptance, methinks. Though
> that's already started.
>
> -Chris Wright
> _______________________________________________
> lugsb mailing list
> lugsb at mail.fsl.cs.sunysb.edu
> http://www.fsl.cs.sunysb.edu/mailman/listinfo/lugsb
>