There's just that one little new piece to add to the puzzle - Oracle taking over MySQL. That changes everything. In a bad way. The thing most MSSQL database people will notice when they first get into MySQL is how similar the two products are in terms of their functions, data types, etc. Even in .NET, you can take many database object instances, like SqlDataAdapter for example, and just make it MySqlDataAdapter, and it works. I think that is going to change, and we will see much more PL/SQL-like syntax. THAT is the worst part. Personally, I manage DB2, MySQL, and MSSQL, and there is no doubt in my mind that MS has the best product of the three.