Open Source Database Systems

Microsoft users decry no bang for big bucks.
"Many Microsoft users have paid tens of thousands of dollars on Software Assurance maintenance contracts set to expire this summer. A new version of SQL Server code-named Yukon was slated for release in 2003, but the ship date slipped into early 2004 and then to the end of this year."
—NWFusion, March 8, 2004

SQL Server Delays Roil Solution Providers
The slippage of Microsoft SQL Server into 2005 is no trivial matter to solution providers. This database, code-named Yukon, has slipped so much it's becoming "a credibility issue."
"This is evidence of the benefit of the open source model. For critically important software, an open source end-user may not have to wait for the vendor's planned release." In contrast, Microsoft alone determines the features and dates of its releases. "An active user of open source software can invest and have more control of what software they use and when they start using it."
—CRN, March 15, 2004

Now, many database administrators are exploring alternative Open Source databases, including

• MySQL,
• PostgreSQL,
• Firebird,
• CodeBase,
• db.* and
• Berkeley DB.

All of these Open Source databases emphasize the importance of freely available source code and the many programmers that support it. They also have powerful claims about performance, uptime and volume of transactions. Best of all, the prices are far below those for proprietary databases.

MySQL	PostgreSQL	Firebird	Berkeley DB
CodeBase			db.*