Re: Informix running on Linux

DBA Resources <dbaresrc@xmission.xmission.com> wrote: :I'd like to throw my 2 pennies into this discussion. First of all these are :*personal* opinions only. They are not official or unofficial IIUG statements :like those my evil genetic clone makes from time to time. : :I thought you all would appreciate knowing that Informix is very aware your :requests and desire for a Linux port of Informix products. My impression :is that they are struggling with developing a profitability model for the :product. They have to be able to show that the support, documentation, :marketing, and other costs involved with the port could be recovered and a :long-term and long-lasting profit could be established. They should reconsidder support, documentation and marketing. There should be a non supported version available. This would not hurt Informix in any way. People should still be able to call Informix for support, but with their credit card ready and with the clear signed qualification that Informix might not be able to help them at all. Otherwise c.d.i. and other usenet groups should be refered to as the real place for support for this version. The SE and 4GL ports would be the most clear cut products for this system, but even OnLine should be available in this way. Informix will possibly be afraid that selling "unsupported" products in this way might hurt them due to complaints about defects and other problems not beeing handled properly by them. This is unwaranted. Their products are stable enough that this will not be a significant problem. They will of course have to make very clear exactly what version of Linux they have ported to and what the prerequisites are for the products to run. They would need no additional documentation for the engine and 4GL as such, but would of course have to make some installation documentation. The distribution of the product should not include printed manuals. They should be available on the web as they allready are today, and on a CD-ROM with the distribution. This could keep the costs down for Informix. On marketing Informix would have to deside for themselves. I think that if it where available the word would spread real fast. They should of course have a separate are for Linux information at their own web site. By making it a separate area the big IS shops that may dislike Linux wouldn't even have to click on the link to it. It should be easy enough for Informix to market this as real low end products so as to not significantly hurt their higher end sales. As I argued before I also doubt that it will hurt that anyway. Those who want to run on Linux wouldn't ever run on Sun, IBM or HP hardware. I can't even see NT sales hurting. On the contrary I am quite sure it will benefit the NT sales significantly after some time as it will enable people to develop MS Windows based applications where the database server can run on any hardware and OS. :It's also a completely different market for them to play in. They are used to :dealing with an established vendors who will put X developers whereever the :port is occuring to ensure success. That could not happen with Linux. I happen :to know that the porting department is very leary about trying to port to :Linux because of a failed attempt to port to BSD last year. The suggestion :was made that one distribution of Linux be selected as *the* supported Linux :O/S, and while that works great from a marketing perspective, the problem still :goes back to who do you call when there's a problem with the O/S? In this case :you have to put yourself in Informix's mindset of being able to point a finger :at someone and say "fix it." That might not be possible with Linux. Yes I would doubt pointing fingers in the Linux community would be very helpfull. However a cooperative effort with one of the commersial Linux distributors should be possible and give Informix most if not all of what they need and are used to from the big iron vendors. Of course they can't expect these people to invest money in it, but they should be able to find the help and some other resources they would need. Another idea might be to actually bring in to Informix some of the real top notch Linux people on an assignment to help with the port. It shouldn't be all that hard to find some of these. I even think many would flock to Informix for the oportunity alone. Get someone in to port SE and 4GL first as a proof of consept. No cure, no pay to the porters. If those doing it proved themselves as up to the task let them go for OnLine. Here also no cure, no pay. The right people would port SE and 4GL real fast. OnLine may require more, but should be doable according to what has been said about it. If it should require more Linux development let them put the word out and come back when it's done. This is one idea, there may be others. :So what's the bottom line? I know those who control the purse strings have :looked at this issue before and have set it aside for the time being. A linux :port, however valuable it might be, will not happen unless a viable business :case can be built. Opportunity is knocking. Creativity is needed. Informix have it, they only need to use it. Bold moves to new markets would help Informix out significantly. : Those who have successfully got Informix products up and :running on Linux would do those interested in seeing a Linux port happen a :great service by sending detailed instructions of how they did it to someone :like Kerry Sainsbury who maintains the Informix FAQ. While I can not speak :for him or what he might do with it, I think he would include this information :in the FAQ. Some information is allready in the FAQ. Nils.Myklebust@idg.no NM Data AS, P.O.Box 9090 Gronland, N-0133 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company The Informix FAQ is at http://www.iiug.org