[johnmark]

"Splunk, given its cost and complexity, is almost never right for startups."

Many, many startups would disagree with you. If cost is a factor, we're starting a program for startups. Feel free to ping me for more info.

We'll also have a new developer license for our next release, which will make it easier for cash-strapped developers to use Splunk.

And finally, I would just point out that using rsyslog, syslog, and syslog-ng do not preclude you from using something like Splunk. Many of our users use Splunk with a log manager, such as syslog-NG, because they like our analytics engine and reporting tools. YMMV.

Now back to your regularly scheduled discussion :)

-John Mark Splunk Community Guy

[mmt]

Many, many startups would disagree with you. If cost is a factor, we're starting a program for startups. Feel free to ping me for more info.

Thanks for the reply. Admittedly, my statement is better qualified by "early" and "web scale."

Cost is very much a factor, as $500/mo buys a lot of ramen, and, even for a slightly larger company, is still a noticeable expense, for something where the value is unknown[1] ahead of time.

Even just the nomenclature "enterprise" implies pricing that's optimized to pay for the sales process or other hand-holding, rather than something technical. Such inference is further bolstered by the fact that a full price list isn't published.

If cost is a factor, we're starting a program for startups. Feel free to ping me for more info.

The companies I work for, in general, have neither the free time nor the inclination to pay for such a sales process. The program I'd want to see is one where I can order online with a credit card.

Time is a portion of cost, not just cash.

[1] Perhaps even unknowable, since, if the output isn't consumed, it's all potential value.