>Less costly??? I'd be surprised if that source considered the price of SQLServer itself and the licences. He might argue that Microsoft will change it's licensing methods, but let's not forget that the price of SQLServer itself also goes up - real up!!!
And don't forget the horrendous price increases for internet access if the client moves up to SQLServer 2000, and wants a web interface. Anywhere from $5,000 per CPU to $20,000 per CPU (Enterprise version).
