Future of Informix

We recently had a meeting with our informix rep (Is it bad form to post the names of the people?) to discuss our upgrade stategy. BTW, we are on 5.0 SE on a clipper box for our intergraph MGE project. We are migrating to NT, so we wanted to know what to do. The informix rep said lots of things, so I asked him to clarify, his response was the following, it is long, and we are not sure what it really means. We consider ourselves incidental users of informix because it came with our intergraph solution and not developers. I wanted to share and to ask for an interpretation. Thanks to all. Table of contents 1. Summary 2. Product Positioning 3. Product Availability 4. Product Attributes 5. Product Requirements 1. SUMMARY ------------ Monday, March 31, 1997--Today Informix announced the Informix Universal Tools Strategy. INFORMIX-Universal Server--the first enterprise-capable, extensible object-relational database management system designed explicitly to handle rich datatypes has presented the software market with exciting new technology that promises to unleash business innovation. The success of INFORMIX-Universal Server is dependent upon the number of applications running on it. Our goal is to accelerate the adoption rate of INFORMIX-Universal Server by application developers, and enable millions of software developers to build applications that take advantage of INFORMIX-Universal Server's rich data types and advanced functionality. To achieve this goal, we have created the Informix Universal Tools Strategy to make it faster and easier to develop applications for INFORMIX-Universal Server, while giving developers the flexibility to leverage the investment they have made in their tools of choice. =20 The centerpiece of the Universal Tools Strategy is INFORMIX-Data Director--a family of plug-in modules that extend, manage, and deploy applications for INFORMIX-Universal Server. Data Director extends industry leading development environments, such as Web/Java, Windows development tools, prepackaged applications, and traditional client/server environments, to offer native access to INFORMIX- Universal Server. As part of this strategy, Informix is committed to developing and enhancing INFORMIX-NewEra, in addition to providing a migration path for INFORMIX-4GL developers to take advantage of open tool environments. Instead of building tools to compete with leading edge tool companies, Informix has taken a fresh approach to database tools by developing plug-in modules that enable market leading development environments for INFORMIX-Universal Server. Informix is working with industry leading=20 development environment vendors like Microsoft, PowerSoft, JavaSoft of=20 Sun Microsystems, Symantec, Forte, Crystal Reports of Seagate, and several= =20 4GL partners to facilitate the Universal Tools Strategy. This strategy=20 provides a fast, easy and flexible way to extend, manage and deploy rich,=20 scalable, distributed client/server applications. While it is important to remember that most any database application will easily run on INFORMIX-Universal Server (all Informix applications run with no modification and most non-Informix applications can be ported over), the Universal Tools Strategy allows customers to extend an application to take advantage of SQL3, rich data types, and new functionality. Regardless of the development environment--Java/Web, Windows, pre-packaged applications, traditional client/server--Informix Universal Tools Strategy provides tight integration with the INFORMIX-Universal Server to extend database applications beyond simple alphanumeric data, and make that development: * FAST--=97reducing the time to market for leading-edge database= applications, while boosting application performance and functionality * EASY--=97giving developers an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface to= powerful new modules and DataBlade modules for creating enterprise applications * FLEXIBLE--=97offering developers the freedom to continue working with= their development environment of choice Products Included Under the Universal Tools Strategy: * INFORMIX-Data Director for Visual Basic * INFORMIX-Data Director for Java (formerly JWorks) * INFORMIX-NewEra * INFORMIX-4GL * INFORMIX-Java Object Interface (JOI) (formerly Java API) * INFORMIX-JDBC * INFORMIX-C++ Object Interface (COI) * INFORMIX-CLI=20 * INFORMIX-ESQL/C * INFORMIX-Developer SDK 2. PRODUCT POSITIONING ------------------------ For organizations that want to create a competitive advantage through leading edge database applications with Windows, Web/Java, client/server, or pre-packaged applications, INFORMIX-Data Director enables creation of the fastest, most flexible, and easiest to design applications using leading open development environments. Unlike our competitors, who limit the options available to developers, Informix is truly embarking on an open tools strategy by embracing the market leading development environments. INFORMIX-Data Director provides easy- to-use plug-in modules to these environments to offer native access to the industry's fastest, easiest to use, and most flexible database server, INFORMIX-Universal Server. Target markets =96=20 * All application developers using Informix servers, including:=20 * Web/Java (Symantec Visual Cafe Pro, JavaSoft Java Workshop,= Microsoft=20 VJ++) developers * Microsoft Windows (Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual Studio)= developers * Pre-packaged application (all Informix VARs) users * Traditional client/server (NewEra, Forte, PowerSoft) developers =20 Customer problems it solves =96=20 * Provides Windows, Web/Java, pre-packaged application, and traditional client/server developers with a faster, easier, and more flexible approach to developing applications that take advantage of the extensibility of INFORMIX-Universal Server without leaving the comfort of their favorite industry-leading development environments. Where the competition falls short =96=20 * The competition has neither application development tools that strictly focus on database enablement, nor application development tools that embrace leading edge, open development tools. Not only is Informix the first database vendor to support an open tools strategy by supporting industry leading development environments, but it is also the first to provide drag-and-drop development products to easily support dynamic, rich SQL3 datatypes. 3. PRODUCT AVAILABILITY ------------------------- * INFORMIX-Data Director 1.0 for Java -=20 Will be generally available in early Q2 1997.=20 * INFORMIX-Data Director 3.0 for Visual Basic -=20 Will be available in early Q3 1997.=20 (contact Janeen Bogue at janeen@informix.com with interested Beta=20 customers). =20 * INFORMIX-NewEra 3.0 -=20 Generally available today. (Please refer to NewEra GA Falcon Alert.) * INFORMIX-NewEra 3.1 - Will be generally available in Q3 1997. * INFORMIX-Developer SDK 9.10 - Controlled Release will be available in early Q2 1997. =20 Data Director and developer AP