Mark,
We will continue this off-line....
1) I have presented at IIUG/Chicago
2) I submitted to present at nationals in May 2007. I might not be
migrated to DB2 by then. Winning the battle to stay with IBM products
was indeed a battle, people didn't want to go to DB2 either.
3) kudo's to the IBMers involved in IIUG/Chicago for creating a warm
atmosphere to encourage my involvement.... I am taking them up on it.
How many of us manage Informix under purchased software packages? If
said software packages don't run on Informix, it doesn't matter how
great Informix is now does it?
I can't stay with Informix under SAP, but I won the internal battle to
stay in the IBM fold (we chose DB2). The second and very close choice
was sqlserver2005, no, not oracle.
It is not the qualities or failings of any particular database package
that makes/breaks deals..... you tell me how I can win a vote for
Informix the next time a software application is being considered (and
the software app does not port to Informix)?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Norma Jean
-----Original Message-----
From:
informix-list-bounces@iiug.org
[mailto:informix-list-bounces@iiug.org] On Behalf Of
mark.scranton@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 12:27 PM
To:
informix-list@iiug.org
Subject: Re: Insider #75: Highlights: IBM Information On Demand
2006,TheNextInformix IDS Release...
I remember back in the 80's...i bought the book about the Connection
Machine architecture. Yes - it was way ahead of it's time. And yes (I
hate to admit), I agree with DE - the technology was lost amongst the
technologists...it had nothing to do with how good it was. Much like
us.
Some points:
1. it's not a technology battle - never has been. Has very little to do
with the problem right now. If it were a technology battle, we'd all be
driving Subaru's or Toyota's, not GM cars. (I come from a GM family, so
I can say that without regret).
2. Don't wait on IBM with respect to Informix. Stay focused on what you
can do to continue it's life. I believe we have quite a few years ahead
of Informix work - not so much new clients, but within a loyal
installed base. Sad, but true.
3. IDS 10.5 will bring some great features - many of you will hear
about them next week at conference. Pat folks like John, Johnathon and
Madison on the back for staying the course.
4. I have been very busy - almost 100% of the time - with Informix
clients since joining Xtivia. And I'm not the only one - others on the
staff as well.
5. One of the best contributions the tech crowds can make is to publish
articles about how the Informix product helps your site, is easy
to...whatever. Many will say "I don't have time..." - apparently a few
of us have "enough time" to post here endlessly. Take that time and
energy and route it into an article or paper from a technical
point-of-view. Helps to start a buzz. (And please - no more articles
that say "I was writing 4GL in 1983....").
Volunteer to help the IIUG as JGP has stated. It's time for some new
blood there. I certainly would hope we have a changing of the guard to
get some new inputs and fresh perspectives. I see JGP as a candidate
for the next Prez, but that's just me. He still has the enthusiasm and
energy needed there - and he is connected to the client base in
numerous ways. This is important.
Thanks -
Mark Scranton
Informix 1995-2006
Sebastian, Norma J. wrote:
Quote:
And here I thought there was some momentum building that we could leverage and sell fist-fight tickets at conference..... oh the potential ! don't mean to be overly asinine or humorous..... I have been doing informix stuff (4gl, db, etc) for 15 years and I love it, but I have 20-odd years to go in IT........ I have seen the light and it's called sqlserver2005. that'll be the bat that hits oracle with force. -----Original Message----- From: informix-list-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:informix-list-bounces@iiug.org] On Behalf Of Double Echo Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 8:58 AM To: informix-list@iiug.org Subject: Re: Insider #75: Highlights: IBM Information On Demand 2006, TheNextInformix IDS Release... Jean Georges Perrin wrote:
Quote:
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I am lost! How can you compare Informix, a database technology, with artificial intelligence?
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I had actually been lulled into thinking that you were capable of thinking outside the Informix box. But I see that I am indeed wrong. On this I am sure. Thinking Machines ( the company ) was carved up and split off between Sun and Oracle. God only knows what they did with the parts, but the point, obviously lost on you, was that this was great technology that simply did not make it in its present form. Informix, great technology, but for whatever reason will not make
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it--at
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least in its present form. The Connection Machines developed by Thinking Machines where way ahead of their time, just like Informix. DB2 is now enjoying the fruits of Informix labor, and Informix to some degree is enjoying some of the technology from DB2, such as better buffer pool management. But IBM knows they can get most of their
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sales
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from 20% of the Informix base, thusly this is why they don't give a
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rats
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ass about marketing it. As it dies a slow and tragic death, IBM will simply continue to offer DB2 like a robot offering tea.
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The path of your thinking is really strange to me.
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It's early for you. When you get 5-10 years away from actually using Informix it will become easier for you. This will soon be possible
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when
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Informix slides off into the abyss.
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Your mail is the same kind of usual rambling, then you divert on AI.
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This is
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how you want to convince than Informix is anemic? Come on! You can
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surely do I appreciate your challenge. Like you I persist here in c.d.i, for apparently no other reason than the pointless, hopeless hope that
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there
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is a twinkle of intelligence at IBM that is reading here, and will
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wake
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up and Informix will start to be marketed and really advertised. In
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my
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misguided zeal, I somehow think that somebody will resurrect this product and really make it fly. But deep down inside I know it's a
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lost
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cause. Probably the same kind of problem people have with quitting smoking, it's difficult.
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Or go comp.lang.prolog...
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2006,
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TheNext Informix IDS Release... The big question is, what does the conference really buy you in the market? Just because Walmart and a few other companies are keeping the Informix
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lights on doesn't mean the product has a real future. If you can't build
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a
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developer base, all you have is a database engine. Look at all the great technology
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projects over the years that were the "superior" choice, but nobody
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cared.
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Unless Informix differentiates itself in the market with some kind
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of
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application that works with the database, it's a big nothing. Just nothing. Try this one in google: Thinking Machines . That one is really amazing.
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All gone now, great technology, with a great future... bwahahahaaaaaaa!
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8-)
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Jean Georges Perrin wrote:> Malcolm, first understand I have a lot of respect with what you
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have
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been> doing for the Informix community.>> Having said that, I fully disagree with you on many points.>> Informix is not in "apathy mode". It sure is not as "brilliant" as in
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early> 1997 when Informix corp was cumulating about a quarter of Oracle's revenue.> But some did errors and things have changed. However, apathy or
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anemic
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are> certainly NOT how I'd describe the Informix world today! Are you
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related
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to> DE?>> The conference had poor attendance: it was the first ever in
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Europe.
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Even> IFMX did not do one in the glorious (new) era.>> Price is high: I will not disclose numbers (which I do not have
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;-)
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)
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but> IDUG is *not* making a lot of money on European events. IIUG
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(blame
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us
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if> you will) is not doing ANY money.>> Volunteers: the conference in Vienna, from the IIUG standpoint, is manned by> volunteers, this include Gary & Paul. If we had 10 times these
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guys,
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we'd> probably be able to make a cheap conference in my garage... (and along
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side> with my "cave", we could do two tracks, we would even be able to
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set
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up
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a> hands on lab on my systems...).>> And please don't find the excuse of "no time"... I am on a
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contract,
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so
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even> if I can access those conferences at "a preferred rate", it means
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no
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income> during the week. And going to 3 or 4 conferences a year does not bring
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you> knowledge: one or two yes, no more knowledge because you double
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the
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time
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> spent in the same type of conference. And I am not an Informix consultant,> so I am not even chasing customers there.>> Please all, stop moaning and complaining, IIUG is looking for volunteers...> (and it's not all directed at Malcolm).>>> -----Original Message----->> From: informix-list-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:informix-list->> bounces@iiug.org] On Behalf Of malcolm weallans>> Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 20:54>> To: 'Jean Georges Perrin'; 'Davorin Kremenjas';
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informix-list@iiug.org
Quote:
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>> Subject: RE: Insider #75: Highlights: IBM Information On Demand
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2006,
Quote:
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The>> Next Informix IDS Release...>>>> Jean Georges, I don't think it is a question of setting an index
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and
Quote:
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>> pricing>> according to where the people come from. That would generate a
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big
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market>> in paper companies ostensibly based in the poorest country of the world.>> But this is exactly the same problem that we had in trying to fix
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a
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>> membership fee for IIUG - oh so many years ago.>>>> What we really need to consider - as a newsgroup and as IIUG - is that
Quote:
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we>> have a diverse audience. Some may be prepared to pay to attend>> conferences>> - others might find financing such a venture difficult. Some
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might
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have>> ample time to attend conferences. Some are managing a number of IDS
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>> servers>> single-handedly and our absence needs a lot of justification.
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Some
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want>> highly technical presentations to justify the expense of both
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time
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and
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>> money. Some would be lost with these advanced topics and would
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like to
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>> have>> lower level presentations.>>>> It has been commented that there weren't many UK informix users
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at
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the
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>> conference as well as a shortage of croatians. It would be worth seeing>> figures of the numbers of attendees from each country and for
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proper
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>> comparison how many licences have been sold in those countries
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and
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the
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>> average salary of a DBA in those countries and even how many IIUG members>> there are in those countries. Perhaps the IIUG could try to
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publish
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those>> figures. I am sure it would be an interesting exercise
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collecting
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the
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>> data>> :-)>>>> But being realistic the apathy towards Informix is a major
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factor.
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I
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>> can't>> persuade the powers that be to let me attend an Informix
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conference
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-
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but>> if>> it was Microsoft....>>>> Regards>>>> Malcolm>>>> -----Original Message----->> From: informix-list-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:informix-list->> bounces@iiug.org]>> On Behalf Of Jean Georges Perrin>> Sent: 09 October 2006 12:22>> To: Davorin Kremenjas; informix-list@iiug.org>> Subject: Re: Insider #75: Highlights: IBM Information On Demand 2006,The>> Next Informix IDS Release...>>>>>>>> I also agree with Malcolm, however it is very very complex to set
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a
Quote:
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system>> like that. what would be the reference? UK having an index of
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100?
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Belgium>> 80? Croatia 30? France (well you need to pay them to make them move)...
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>>>> Another comment was that there are less tracks for Informix than
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DB2,
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so>> should we price proportionnally?>>>> IIUG can take all those positive and constructive ideas and
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propose
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some>> changes to IDUG.>>>> jgp>>>> On Mon, 9 Oct 2006 12:11:54 +0200, Davorin Kremenjas wrote>>> "malcolm weallans" <malcolm.iiug@btopenworld.com> wrote in
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message
Quote:
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>>> news:mailman.74.1160152453.29455.informix-list@iiug.org...>>>> John,>>>> I don't think our croatian friend was objecting to having to
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pay.
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>>>> It's>>>> just>>>> that it's a lot of money. I don't know what Croatian salaries are
Quote:
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>> like>>>> but>>>> I think they are probably a lot less than a DBA would get in
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UK.
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>>> Exactly.>>> I wish I said these few sentences as clear as you did, it would>>> cause much less confusion.>>>>>> _______________________________________________>>> Informix-list mailing list>>> Informix-list@iiug.org>>> http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list>> -->> jgp>>>> _______________________________________________>> Informix-list mailing list>> Informix-list@iiug.org http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix- _______________________________________________ Informix-list mailing list Informix-list@iiug.org http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list ================================================== ========== The information contained in this message may be privileged and confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any reproduction, dissemination or distribution of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. Thank you. Tellabs ================================================== ==========
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RE: Insider #75: Highlights: IBM Information On Demand 2006,TheNextInformix IDS Relea
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