I got in a lot of trouble when I wrote that SQL Server 2014 Standard Edition Sucks.
That post generated a lot of public discussion, and it also generated a lot of private ill will for me. I heard from several Microsoft folks who were downright angry. How dare I voice an opinion like that? I even heard from MVPs who told me I shouldn’t criticize Microsoft in public, only in private.
I didn’t back down, and I didn’t apologize. I believed in the post, and I never heard anyone arguing that Standard should indeed be capped at $500 of memory. And amazingly, I’m still an MVP.
Good news: Microsoft marketing heard our cries, and raised SQL 2014 Standard Edition’s limit to 128GB (or at least, the latest Books Online pages read that way.)
I don’t know if my blog post had anything to do with it, but I do know a lot of folks who have been quietly and politely raising this issue for years – long before SQL 2012 came out – and we haven’t seen any relief.
I like to think of my blog post as an act of civil disobedience – raising awareness of an important issue for DBAs. I’d like to challenge you to do the same. When you believe in something, talk about it. Fight for the things that matter to you. Consumers have a bigger voice than ever before, and what you think matters.
Yes, there’s going to be haters who tell you to be quiet and do as you’re told. You have to learn how to handle the haters. Life is too short – get out there and make a difference. Build things. Help people. Someone’s always going to complain about your methods, but you have to stand up for yourself and your beliefs.