Re: Informix support: Where are you?

In article <1992Apr14.141938.726@halexv.uucp> greg@halexv.uucp (Gregory F. Hogg) writes: > (Informix) have never, and I mean NEVER, been of any real help. I can only partly agree with this. 'Never' seems like a very long time and I can remember just last week I got a lot of help from Informix. It wasn't from the main office mind you, but it was help. I also know that on this very net there are a lot of helpful responses from Informix on issues that might otherwise freeze a programmer's efforts. I'm not banging on you, Gregory. I just want to make sure that both sides get told. Speaking from a long term relationship with Informix, I know that when you hit them with a bug they can't project when it will ever, if ever, get fixed. What I also know is that if we never tell them about the bugs then they might never get fixed. The squeaky wheel syndrome is apparently in operation here. I have been both smitten and lifted by technical support from Informix. What I can tell you about both is that it all depends on my own frame of mind at the time. I prefer to remember the advances that Informix has made over the years based on customer feedback and Informix' intent to provide the best mid-range database engine around. Some might not agree that progress has been made unless we are referring to Progress itself. The worst interface I've ever had with Informix is when I couldn't personally handle the entire communication line. When I have to let others handle any part of the problem then something invariably falls through. The problem with government agencies not getting updates is not necessarily one person's problem. It could be a series of events similar to passing on gossip. Our younger years of playing "Spread the gossip" should teach us that no matter how earnest one is in being a team player that teamwork will eventually find a hole to fall into. Sometimes the individual effort makes more of a difference than what a group can do. Synergism isn't all that it's cracked up to be. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John R. Carter, Sr. Programmer/Analyst - Informix DBA Computer Sciences Corporation jcarter@nas.nasa.gov Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation 415/604-3662 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 M/S 258-6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------