Insider #54: Editorials, sponsorship programs, & More...

IIUG Insider (Issue #54) December 2004 Highlights: Editorials, sponsorship programs, & More... Online at http://www.iiug.org/news/insider.html ================================================================ Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Insider! Designed for IIUG members and Informix user group leaders, this publication contains timely and relevant information for the IBM Informix community. ================================================================ Contents: ================================================================ * Editorial * IIUG - IIUG Informix Yellow Pages * IIUG - Sponsorship Program * Editorial - A word from the President, Stuart Litel * Editorial - Informix and IBM * Event - Washington Area Informix User Group meeting (Besthesda, MD, USA) * Product News - New White Paper: Business Advantage of Upgrading to IDS 9.4 * Service Offerings - Advanced Informix IDS Performance Tuning and Optimization Course * Service Offerings - ITES * Developer Corner - Report from DeveloperWorks * Developer Corner - Answer on Technical Questions for EGL * People - Mehdi Afshar, CEO, Querix * Useful Links * Closing and Credits ================================================================ Editorial ================================================================ 2004 is coming to an end... 2005 will be brighter than ever for IBM Informix. I have heard so many great things (you know, like Mac OS X, is it 'X' or is it Ten?), I cannot wait any longer! IIUG is pleased to announce two new programs for our members and IBM Business Partners: IIUG Informix Yellow Pages and Sponsorship Program. Do you want to know more about those? Then read! This issue contains not one, nor two but THREE editorials, thanks to Mr. President (Stuart Litel) and Mr. Analyst (Philip Howard). Thanks guys! A few things for developers, including an exclusive interview of Mehdi Afshar and his vision of 4GL and nothing for DBA, guys and gals, wake up... Finally, I'd like to say a special thank you to Fred & Neil who provided us a lot of help and fun (Hey Neil, Philip's editorial is in English, you see, I managed to make Europe more visible in the Insider). Merry Xmas for those of you that wish to have a merry Xmas, and a fantastic year 2005 (I need one!). Thanks to all for your continuous support! Jean Georges Perrin Editor ================================================================ IIUG - IIUG Informix Yellow Pages ================================================================ This new service is called the "IIUG Informix Yellow Pages" listing service, and it will be provided at no charge. This service will offer any Informix-related supplier of software or services a way to get their message out to other Informix users. This service will also provide IIUG members an easy way to find companies that provide Informix-related products and services. Members will be able to search for listings by O/S platform, Informix product base, geographies, and type of service. The "IIUG Informix Yellow Pages" listings requires that an application be completed. IIUG will review applications and make final approval related to membership and content. IIUG will be accepting applications for the "IIUG Informix Yellow Pages" immediately and will make the "IIUG Informix Yellow Pages" search available to IIUG members in January. Watch for additional announcements! For more information and to submit an application for an "IIUG Informix Yellow Pages" listing, please see http://www.iiug.org/yellowpages. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at yellowpages@iiug.org. ================================================================ IIUG - Sponsorship Program ================================================================ The second new offering is a Sponsorship Program. This is an easy and inexpensive way for IBM Business Partners to promote their Informix-related products and services. The Sponsorship program follows a three-tier approach with a limit to the number of sponsors at a given level. Based on the sponsorship level, the sponsor's logo, press releases, webcast promotions, and more will be featured on http://www.iiug.org and within future issues of the Insider. In addition to promoting Informix products and services, the Sponsorship program will help IIUG achieve its goal of promoting and protecting the interests of the many businesses and organizations that rely on Informix products daily. Sponsorship Program requires that an application be completed. IIUG will review applications and make final approval related to membership and content. Completing an application does not cost anything or commit you to a level of sponsorship. IIUG will be accepting applications for the Sponsorship Program immediately. For more information, pricing, and to submit an application for Sponsorship, please see http://www.iiug.org/sponsor. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at sponsorship@iiug.org. ================================================================ Editorial - A word from the President, Stuart Litel ================================================================ For those who know me, they know that I have a tendency to talk a lot and tell lots of Informix stories, but I am not a person who enjoys writing, so during the past year I have not written much for the Insider, but it is the end of 2004 and as we welcome 2005, I thought it was time to write an article on many different topics for the IIUG members. The past year has been a break thru year for IIUG experiencing more than a 50% turnover in the IIUG board members. We started off the year a bit rocky but as President I think we have changed a lot. I originally told the board that I wanted to make IIUG more of a relationship organization and concentrate on relationships with IBM, members and partners. During the past year we have completed much of this, as I believe the IIUG / IBM relationship is the best it has ever been and for that matter, Informix is stronger than ever inside of IBM. There have been many rumors over the past three and a half years about the demise of Informix and IDS inside and outside of IBM, I want to state it here loudly and strongly. IBM is FULLY and 100% behind the future of Informix database products. Informix is here to stay for the VERY LONG HAUL and IBM is spending possibly more money on research and development of Informix products than even Informix spent on R & D. IDS is here to stay !and will be here for years to come. So if anyone tells you otherwise, please let them contact me and I will set them straight. During 2004, the IIUG board decided to work in conjunction with IDUG (International DB2 User Group), as IDUG is an organization that puts on very professional conferences, this year IIUG is working with IDUG and has complete control of all Informix technical sessions. The IDUG conference will be held in Denver, CO in May 2005 (http://www.iiug.org/conf). At the conference there will be more Informix content than any other conference in the last three and a half years, making this the premier Informix technical event anywhere in the world, complete with more than 50 Informix sessions from IDS to Standard Engine products from beginner to advanced topics including four amazing training sessions on Sunday from possibly four of the best Informix speak