Re: Linux marketing - at allmost zero cost (fwd)

Art S. Kagel wrote: [SNIP] > On Thu, 9 Oct 1997 Nils.Myklebust@idg.no wrote: > > > Yes *I* agree wity you Art. My thinking however was that Informix might be > > a little afraid of doing a marketing campaign for a Linux version. There > > are > > several possible reasons for that: > > Uhmmm, there is really one big one, that you forgot to mention...... ;-) But first, lets look at something... > Do HP, Sun, IBM, etc give Informix grief because they support the others? > Because they support SCO UNIX, or Altos UNIX or NCR UNIX or DG/UX or ... > I do not see this as a problem. > Well, all other UNIX based OSs are proprietary to a specific platform, hence the hardware vendors can compete. (Solais is Sparc/Intel) SCO is intel. Please also note that SCO has signed a deal with HP and I believe somewhere Microsoft has part ownership in SCO. But Art is right, all flavors of UNIX compete on a *level* playing field, and for the most part, they have bastardized their BSD vs AT&T Sys 5 origins taking the best from both camps. (They are all brothers under the skin) But one thing is a problem. Informix has openly stated that MicroSloth will account for %40 of their future revenue growth, and have spent a lot of money catering to Microsloth. Linux is a throw back to the old party line of where Informix is a UNIX database. (Where Java is *KING*) In fact, Linux is an embarassment since it is cheaper than NT, and to get down to the nitty gritty, one can do a lower cost per transaction on Linux than NT or anywhere else for that matter. So Informix faces a potential embarassment because of this. Of course, with the proper spin control, there would be no embarassment. > feet. As far as financial analysts, they will call Informix a 'HOLD' until > the first real sales figures are anounced. Hence the need to follow up > quickly with sales figures quarterly for the first year. This will serve > to keep the Informix name in the public eye with, hopefully, positive > publicity which should help generate sales in other markets as well to > bolster the announcements of Linux sales. Voila, snowball! > I think it goes beyond that. Informix booked revenue early, so when they restate their losses, then restate the revenue booked forward, analysts which cover Informix will already recognize that. The best thing is that Finnochio has brought out *all* the skeletons from the closet. The are other problems which plague Informix, and rumor has it, Finnochio is the type of person who can conquer those issues too. For those who follow the IIUG's linux advocacy list, I have slammed Informix hard. I am still bullish on them because I think that they will succeed inspite of themselves. (Oh, I know I am gonna catch hell for that one.) Of course, if they don't improve, one could always start a shareholders action at the next shareholder's meeting. ;-) Cheers! -Mikey -- #include <std_disclaimer.h> /* Mike Segel (MS385) */ #include <No_Spam.h> #ifdef OFFENDED_BY_CONTENT The author takes no responsibility for this post. Any resemblence to a coherent rational thought is purely coincidence. -The Management. #endif ***************************** Due to AGIS's Refusal to Act Responsibly We are blocking all of their domains at the packet level. This block will exist until AGIS modifies their policies to conform to existing RFCs and net community standards. We encourage all ISPs and domain holders to do the same. *****************************