I'm sure it's not cheap (I haven't been able to find the details yet), but you might be underestimating the cost of operating a large database. Even if we get

I'm sure it's not cheap (I haven't been able to find the details yet), but you might be underestimating the cost of operating a large database. Even if we get to amortize and capitalize the expense, there's still a ton of cash that needs to go out the door today. Today, I can license and operate Oracle by the hour with AWS, and I don't need any staff. That's been huge for me. No financing, no cashflow worries. On Larry's about-face: Oracle's been in SaaS for a while. Now they're getting into IaaS. He's right, though. When it comes to SaaS, going "cloud" meant changing the ad copy. IaaS means self-provisioning and metered billing. That took a little doing. It's a step forward. It may not be compelling for everyone, but there's a market.