Re: Informix on DOS (was: R: BASE 3.1A)

Path: emory!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!netnews.upenn.edu!catone From: catone@wharton.upenn.edu (Tony Catone) Newsgroups: comp.databases Message-ID: <CATONE.91Aug8180714@dmark.wharton.upenn.edu> Date: 8 Aug 91 22:07:14 GMT References: <zvh#aPA@engin.umich.edu> <1991Jun25.235542.17818@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <46341@netnews.upenn.edu> <1991Aug5.081359.27386@informix.com> Sender: news@netnews.upenn.edu Organization: University of Pennsylvania Nntp-Posting-Host: dmark.wharton.upenn.edu In-reply-to: aland@informix.com's message of 5 Aug 91 08:13:59 GMT In article <1991Aug5.081359.27386@informix.com> aland@informix.com (Colonel Panic) writes: I've been here for almost five years, much of that time as a DOS products support specialist, and I've never heard of *any* of these problems. The "so easy to blow away tables" part is utter bullshit, and I defy to to provide a specific example. Fine. Copy tables from one directory to another. See what happens when you drop a table that is hard linked. Note that hard links are put in by many of the Informix utilities. Since you posted on this problem over a year ago, your statement that you have never haeard of problems is a falsehood. You, sir, are either a liar or very sloppy. >I would also look at their pricing >structure, which was way out of line, at least for their DOS line. Even if Define "out of line." Compared against Oracle, Ingres et al lately? You should also factor in hardware requirements, which are substantially different. Oracle is around $1300, Ingres about $1000. Informix used to be "layered" into many products, each of which was in the $700-$1000 range. By the time you bought all that you needed (the ISQL, 4GL, etc) you could expect to spend over $3000, and this is a couple of years back. Three times the price of technologically superior competitors is "way out of line". >they have gotten better, they were so far behind Ingres and Oracle > it's hard You're the same person who is posting pro-KMan raves almost weekly. You don't have an *agenda* here, do you? My "agenda" is to get productive work done as quickly as possible. I have a real life too :-) KMan does the job for me. I happily mail anyone who asks a full response to technical questions, including the limitations. And I'm just a satisfied user, while Informix pays your check. Hmm, I wonder who's less biased? In addition, I also work with Ingres, Paradox, RBase, Focus, AdaBase, FoxBase+/Mac, FoxPro, dBase III+ and others from time to time. In my spare time I sysadmin Unix boxes. I think I have a broad enough range of technical experience to make sound evaluations of products. What's your background? You, sir, are rather infamous for glossing over the bad points of Informix, relegating them to the status of "features". I'd spend less time on ad hominem attacks and more time on improving your product. Take your follow ups to mail or alt.flame. -- Alan Denney aland@informix.com {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland - Tony catone@dmark.wharton.upenn.edu