Oracle owns another fairly well known Open Source database, BerkeleyDB. The pricing for BerkeleyDB. suggests that MySQL may be in for a culture shock. MySQL appears to have removed their support pricing from its website (a move that should not provide comfort to any customer) but as I recall (please correct me if I am wrong) it used to be anywhere from 2500.00 USD to 5000.00 USD, per installation. Whereas Oracle pricing is per processor. Oracle does give you a break if it is a multi-core machine but it isn't huge.
If we use the BerkeleyDB Transactional pricing as a model for what MySQL "could be" a quad core machine would cost a MySQL customer 11,600.00-23,200.00 per year. This is a guess because I don't know the calculation for a Xeon quad core, it would be somewhere between .25 and .75 per core. Oracle is not known for making their pricing clear.
Where am I going with all of this? It should be obvious, moving to PostgreSQL with support from a long standing, transparent support and pricing schedule can do nothing but benefit you in the future.
Updated: 09/29/2010 12:19: Current MySQL Pricing1.
"Hello Customer, I am writing as way of introduction. My name is Juliet and I am your MySQL contact at Oracle. It is my understanding that you are the most appropriate person to speak with at your organization regarding MySQL. If you have any MySQL requirements, questions on the products, support, consulting or training we provide, please do not hesitate in contacting me. I'm sure you are aware that Oracle purchased Sun and therefore MySQL last February. We're being told that there will be changes to MYSQL's pricing and possibly pricing model soon and wanted to let you know. We have not had a price increase for over 6 years but there will be an increase in the next price list that will be available soon. We've been expecting the increase for the past couple of months but I'm told it the new price list will be released soon. For those of you using Basic and Silver support we're being told those options will no longer be available. If you wish to continue with Basic or Silver you will need to sign a multi-year agreement and you would be able to keep using Basic or Silver for up to another 3 years. If you are considering purchasing additional licenses for MySQL support subscription, please let me know, because you can save money if you do it before the changes take place, some time in the next month or two. You can also sign multi-year agreements and lock down current prices for up to 3 years. You can receive up to a 30% discount for a 3 yr. commitments pre-pay but annual payments are available as well for multi-year agreements. If you would like to speak to someone about MySQL Cluster, please let me know and I can arrange for an expert to call you within the next week. Please let me know if you have any questions.