RE: IBM & Informix
Not a technical problem at all — this is a 2005 opinion thread about IBM's commitment to Informix after acquiring it. One poster complains there are no visible new Informix sales wins in Europe, that revenue is falling and job prospects are shrinking, so he'd no longer recommend the product; another insists big wins exist (including a 2006 sports event) but IBM's marketing is slow, and urges users to stop talking Informix down. Others argue the product's reputation is fine and it's only its future that's in doubt, cite Wal-Mart moving its online site to Informix, and digress into which vendors run each other's software. No conclusion or resolution is reached.
Auto-generated by DrWatson from the posts below — may be imperfect; read the full thread.
Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM Informix it doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. I happen to know that there are some big wins for IBM involving Informix, including a very public win for a 2006 sports event - but the IBM marketing machine might be taking time to work out how to publicise it. If you were at any of the events that I have been to recently you would know that the accent is changing within IBM Informix Management (the new Brand Name) and DB2 is now just another one of their products. I agree with you that when looking for a job there aren't many involving Informix because of the negative press that some people insist on giving the product. If we all stop making utterances like yours in public then maybe the tide will indeed turn. Regards Malcolm -----Original Message----- From: owner-informix-list@iiug.org [mailto:owner-informix-list@iiug.org] On Behalf Of Traveller Sent: 24 November 2005 13:47 To: informix-list@iiug.org Subject: Re: IBM & Informix Much as I like Informix and used it for over 10 years, I have not heard of any new sales wins for IBM Informix in Europe. This causes rumours and speculation to circulate and not in a good way, while also making existing users of Informix even more nervous. As a result I am another Informix professional looking to get out of working with Informix as it does not pay my bills. To add to that my new Job I get to influence decisions on what products to get. IBM Informix would not not come top of my list. Not because it is not a great product but due to the fact that it seems like IBM do not have a long term strategy( I mean past 2010 or whatever the current product map says). You know DB2 will always be there as that is IBM's "Main" database and they are actively selling it. Informix ......... who knows and thats the issue. The IBM user conference's can say they are going to carry on supporting Informix but what about getting new sales wins. I cannot see IBM sales people selling Informix above DB2 and the proof of that is in the recent sales of Informix , if any and the fact that Informix revenue for IBM fell by 17% ( last article I read). The trends do not back up IBM stance on Informix. I am sure people with disagree but to change people's perspection you got advertise and bring in new bsuiness not just keep existing business. Just my two pence's worth. Traveller Dirk Moolman wrote: > An interesting article about IBM and Informix > > > http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/19/ibm_informix_db2/ > sending to informix-list sending to informix-list
Hi Malcolm , I appericate the fact you say stop making the utterances in public. But when you hear nothing, like in any other industry people generally get nervous. I figure commuicating and informing people stops people from being scared and frustrated. Especailly if having based part of your IT expertise on a product which you see the job market disappearing and at the same time do not really hear any positive marketing. Plus to add to that the negative press from competition. Which has a way of snow balling as is the case at the moment. Users are bound to get frustrated. The history of Informix has been a rocky road and majority of Informix professionals I have come across love the product and would welcome more focus by IBM on selling it and telling everyone they are selling it. This produces postive press, which in an age where the media has such great power , changes attitudes as well. Again my two pences worth only. Traveller malcolm weallans wrote: > Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM Informix it > doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. I happen to know that there are > some big wins for IBM involving Informix, including a very public win for a > 2006 sports event - but the IBM marketing machine might be taking time to > work out how to publicise it. > If you were at any of the events that I have been to recently you would know > that the accent is changing within IBM Informix Management (the new Brand > Name) and DB2 is now just another one of their products. > I agree with you that when looking for a job there aren't many involving > Informix because of the negative press that some people insist on giving the > product. If we all stop making utterances like yours in public then maybe > the tide will indeed turn. > > Regards > > Malcolm > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-informix-list@iiug.org [mailto:owner-informix-list@iiug.org] On > Behalf Of Traveller > Sent: 24 November 2005 13:47 > To: informix-list@iiug.org > Subject: Re: IBM & Informix > > > Much as I like Informix and used it for over 10 years, I have not heard of > any new sales wins for IBM Informix in Europe. This causes rumours and > speculation to circulate and not in a good way, while also making existing > users of Informix even more nervous. As a result I am another Informix > professional looking to get out of working with Informix as it does not pay > my bills. To add to that my new Job I get to influence decisions on what > products to get. IBM Informix would not not come top of my list. Not because > it is not a great product but due to the fact that it seems like IBM do not > have a long term strategy( I mean past 2010 or whatever the current product > map says). You know DB2 will always be there as that is IBM's "Main" > database and they are actively selling it. Informix ......... who knows and > thats the issue. The IBM user conference's can say they are going to carry > on supporting Informix but what about getting new sales wins. I cannot see > IBM sales people selling Informix above DB2 and the proof of that is in the > recent sales of Informix , if any and the fact that Informix revenue for IBM > fell by 17% ( last article I read). The trends do not back up IBM stance on > Informix. > > I am sure people with disagree but to change people's perspection you got > advertise and bring in new bsuiness not just keep existing business. > > Just my two pence's worth. > > Traveller > > > > Dirk Moolman wrote: > > An interesting article about IBM and Informix > > > > > > http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/19/ibm_informix_db2/ > > sending to informix-list > sending to informix-list
malcolm weallans wrote: > Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM Informix it > doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. I happen to know that there are > some big wins for IBM involving Informix, including a very public win for a > 2006 sports event - but the IBM marketing machine might be taking time to > work out how to publicise it. > If you were at any of the events that I have been to recently you would know > that the accent is changing within IBM Informix Management (the new Brand > Name) and DB2 is now just another one of their products. > I agree with you that when looking for a job there aren't many involving > Informix because of the negative press that some people insist on giving the > product. If we all stop making utterances like yours in public then maybe > the tide will indeed turn. > > Regards > > Malcolm I disagree. I've never heard any bad press about Informix ... the product. In fact I think the product has an excellent reputation. The question is one of whether the product has a future. And fuzzy references to 'talk to your sales rep' are not a confidence builder. As the Captain pointed out, they actually make things worse. -- Daniel A. Morgan http://www.psoug.org damorgan@x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)
"malcolm weallans" <malcolm.iiug@btopenworld.com> wrote in message news:dm72bv$5c1$1@news.xmission.com... > > Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM Informix it > doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. Didn't Wal-Mart.com switch to Informix from Oracle this year. Their stores were already running Informix, plus their HeadOffice. However Wal-Mart.com at Pleasanton, Calif was running on Oracle until Wal-Mart decided to migrate to Informix. Some consolation. The world's largest organization still runs on Informix. I was told by someone whose friend works for Alcatel, Ottawa. They are an Informix shop and IBM tried its best to convince them to migrate to DB2. They simply refused bcos the product is so good. Eventually IBM stopped harassing them. And we are suppose to believe that IBM's intention is good re: Informix.
rkusenet wrote: > "malcolm weallans" <malcolm.iiug@btopenworld.com> wrote in message > news:dm72bv$5c1$1@news.xmission.com... > >>Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM Informix it >>doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. > > > Didn't Wal-Mart.com switch to Informix from Oracle this year. > Their stores were already running Informix, plus their HeadOffice. > However Wal-Mart.com at Pleasanton, Calif was running on Oracle > until Wal-Mart decided to migrate to Informix. > > Some consolation. The world's largest organization still runs on Informix. > > I was told by someone whose friend works for Alcatel, Ottawa. They are > an Informix shop and IBM tried its best to convince them to migrate to > DB2. They simply refused bcos the product is so good. Eventually IBM > stopped harassing them. > > And we are suppose to believe that IBM's intention is good re: Informix. Unless they stopped running their business with eBusiness Suite (Oracle apps) I wouldn't think so. -- Daniel A. Morgan http://www.psoug.org damorgan@x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)
"DA Morgan" <damorgan@psoug.org> wrote in message news:1132967161.881709@yasure... > rkusenet wrote: >> "malcolm weallans" <malcolm.iiug@btopenworld.com> wrote in message >> news:dm72bv$5c1$1@news.xmission.com... >> >>>Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM Informix it >>>doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. >> >> >> Didn't Wal-Mart.com switch to Informix from Oracle this year. >> Their stores were already running Informix, plus their HeadOffice. >> However Wal-Mart.com at Pleasanton, Calif was running on Oracle >> until Wal-Mart decided to migrate to Informix. >> >> Some consolation. The world's largest organization still runs on Informix. >> >> I was told by someone whose friend works for Alcatel, Ottawa. They are >> an Informix shop and IBM tried its best to convince them to migrate to >> DB2. They simply refused bcos the product is so good. Eventually IBM >> stopped harassing them. >> >> And we are suppose to believe that IBM's intention is good re: Informix. > > Unless they stopped running their business with eBusiness Suite (Oracle > apps) I wouldn't think so. I never said that Wal-Mart does not run Oracle at all. I was talking about their main store applications and now online site, something far more critical to their operations than some back end General Ledger stuff :-)
DA Morgan wrote: > rkusenet wrote: > >> "malcolm weallans" <malcolm.iiug@btopenworld.com> wrote in message >> news:dm72bv$5c1$1@news.xmission.com... >> >>> Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM >>> Informix it >>> doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. >> >> >> >> Didn't Wal-Mart.com switch to Informix from Oracle this year. >> Their stores were already running Informix, plus their HeadOffice. >> However Wal-Mart.com at Pleasanton, Calif was running on Oracle >> until Wal-Mart decided to migrate to Informix. >> >> Some consolation. The world's largest organization still runs on >> Informix. >> >> I was told by someone whose friend works for Alcatel, Ottawa. They are >> an Informix shop and IBM tried its best to convince them to migrate to >> DB2. They simply refused bcos the product is so good. Eventually IBM >> stopped harassing them. >> >> And we are suppose to believe that IBM's intention is good re: Informix. > > > Unless they stopped running their business with eBusiness Suite (Oracle > apps) I wouldn't think so. Now, now. Without getting into the who runs actually what, let's at least separate Apps from DBMS. I'm quite confident Walmart must run tons of Websphere as well. No the topic.... (makes me wonder if Oracle is running Websphere.. just like IBM is running Oracle (Siebel/PSFT, ...). Cheers Serge -- Serge Rielau DB2 SQL Compiler Development IBM Toronto Lab
Serge Rielau wrote: > DA Morgan wrote: > >> rkusenet wrote: >> >>> "malcolm weallans" <malcolm.iiug@btopenworld.com> wrote in message >>> news:dm72bv$5c1$1@news.xmission.com... >>> >>>> Just because you haven't heard of any significant wins for IBM >>>> Informix it >>>> doesn't mean to say they aren't happening. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Didn't Wal-Mart.com switch to Informix from Oracle this year. >>> Their stores were already running Informix, plus their HeadOffice. >>> However Wal-Mart.com at Pleasanton, Calif was running on Oracle >>> until Wal-Mart decided to migrate to Informix. >>> >>> Some consolation. The world's largest organization still runs on >>> Informix. >>> >>> I was told by someone whose friend works for Alcatel, Ottawa. They are >>> an Informix shop and IBM tried its best to convince them to migrate to >>> DB2. They simply refused bcos the product is so good. Eventually IBM >>> stopped harassing them. >>> >>> And we are suppose to believe that IBM's intention is good re: Informix. >> >> >> >> Unless they stopped running their business with eBusiness Suite (Oracle >> apps) I wouldn't think so. > > Now, now. Without getting into the who runs actually what, let's at > least separate Apps from DBMS. I'm quite confident Walmart must run tons > of Websphere as well. No the topic.... > (makes me wonder if Oracle is running Websphere.. just like IBM is > running Oracle (Siebel/PSFT, ...). > > Cheers > Serge Given Oracle's "eat your own dogfood" mantra I would doubt it. But, in general, it is true that almost all large organizations are running a bit of everything. -- Daniel A. Morgan http://www.psoug.org damorgan@x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)