Microsoft Price Increase

[PhilNeal]

Microsoft have alerted us to the fact that they are putting up the price of SQL Server 2008 later this year by around 20%. At education prices that is probably only a few pounds but you still might like to buy sooner rather than later.

[CyberNerd]

Perhaps Capita would like to subsidise it, as you are forcing schools to upgrade

[featured_spectre]

That is a very good point! As Capita are forcing to update to SQL2008, they should cover the cost of the upgrade, not just the increase in price!

 

It is unfair on those that have recently upgraded to SQL2005 (as is the case with many lower schools in my area), to have to update to SQL2008!

[Guest Guest]

It is unfair on those that have recently upgraded to SQL2005 (as is the case with many lower schools in my area), to have to update to SQL2008!

 

Yep thats us. We bought 2005 the week they announced the upgrade to 2008.

[robertcraig]

A good summary of the price increases can be found here. Edited May 9, 2010 by vikpaw
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[garrysaddington]

I've also posted a blog article on this at Robert Craig's Blog.

 

Blog article or advert for E1?

[robertcraig]

Blog article or advert for E1?

 

a mixture of both but then I do work for them :-)

[webman]

If they moved to Postgres or MySQL this wouldn't be a problem.

[featured_spectre]

Yep thats us. We bought 2005 the week they announced the upgrade to 2008.

 

The lower school down the road was told they must upgrade to SQL2005 and then again to SQL2008 when the time comes. So they just shelled out for 2005 and had it installed on Monday. I was not impressed by Capita's sales tactics with that!

[Jamman960]

Can we really blame capita for this? they are simply taking advantage of the additional features offered in a newer version of SQL server, they do the same with the .net framework. I'd rather they kept moving forward rather than developing on an old platform as they did with previous versions.

 

I'd presume this is also down to MS mainstream support for SQL2005 ending in the next year or so. As for the cost surely the academic pricing is low enough already? smaller schools can just use the express versions

[CyberNerd]

If they moved to Postgres or MySQL this wouldn't be a problem.

 

indeed, they could bundle it as a self contained package. And a move away from .net would help with the server version lockin.

But then Capita/Ramesys wouldn't be selling you the extra software. Anyone fancy another complaint to OFT.

[featured_spectre]

but as stated previously, if they used MYSQL or Postgres, nobody would have to fork out for a new install of SQL Server. Having a Capita engineer out is costly enough as it is, let alone when they are charging on top for installations, and the software!

[AyatollahPies]

The lower school down the road was told they must upgrade to SQL2005 and then again to SQL2008 when the time comes. So they just shelled out for 2005 and had it installed on Monday. I was not impressed by Capita's sales tactics with that!

 

Upgrade to 2005 from what? What platform have they been on until now?

 

To be fair to Phil, he was being rather helpful by informing us now about the price increase.

[featured_spectre]

They were on SQL2000 (Purchased in 2003).

[AyatollahPies]

They were on SQL2000 (Purchased in 2003).

 

And they've been using it up until Monday on SQL2000? I wasn't aware that was possible.

[featured_spectre]

Apparently so (as per conversation with their techy)

[dhicks]

The lower school down the road was told they must upgrade to SQL2005 and then again to SQL2008 when the time comes. So they just shelled out for 2005 and had it installed on Monday.

 

I've just had a word with the chap who sells us our Microsoft licenses: it seems that you don't have to get a School's Agreement to cover all the Microsoft software on all of your machines, you can just cover a single machine. Therefore, the most cost-effective way to license MS SQL for use with SIMS would seem to be via a School'S Agreement, at around £300 per a year for a single server. That's a fixed cost, and means you can upgrade as and when neccesary.

 

Also, I get the impression the price increase here is actually the price for the new version of SQL Server, SQL Server 2008 R2, which is due out shortly.

 

--

David Hicks

[MattMitchell]

but as stated previously, if they used MYSQL or Postgres, nobody would have to fork out for a new install of SQL Server. Having a Capita engineer out is costly enough as it is, let alone when they are charging on top for installations, and the software!

 

To be fair, it's harder to find good PGSQL engineers than it is to find good MS-SQL ones - and refactoring SIMS to work with a different DB engine would be a mammoth task.

[CyberNerd]

To be fair, it's harder to find good PGSQL engineers than it is to find good MS-SQL ones - and refactoring SIMS to work with a different DB engine would be a mammoth task.

 

Capita have good MSSQL engineers? they should loan them to the SIMS team.

[FN-GM]

I'd presume this is also down to MS mainstream support for SQL2005 ending in the next year or so.

 

I doubt they will, they will extend it. Lots of people are still on 2005.