Re: character-based tools on NT?

The threads to these messages have been shorted for brevity. But the bottom line is Nils your write-up covered GOOD POINTS! If Informix would have supplied this tool initially they could have also cut the competition with Platinum, BMC and the likes. All they had to do was market and provide GUI interfaces using the command line feature. Even though you did state you seldom use the command line function that are available via onmonitor, I know of version of Informix 5.x on-line where tbmonitor (onmonitor) does not work, yet the command line does. Basically the point that INFORMIX needs to HEAR is "Try suppling the DBAs with advantages tools that can leverage their skill and the engine it self with GUI interface, as well as, command line". ROM is only good for viewing general information, as true database administration goes, I am leery of using the TABLE "ALTERING" function of the tool due to the prior checking I must do to insure that I can perform that function. In my first experience with Informix this was the area that I found most lacking, where my experience with DB2 on the mainframe did provide these tools. They may not have been GUI, but they where screen driven and provided the DBA with the information they needed. "Platinum" did this with DB2 for IBM and they and BMC are going to do it again with Informix, if Informix does not come up to bat and provide these tools. This is a market that for some reason database companies seem to "work with" and "market to" last. Why, as a DBA I ask? Great you have this wonderful database system, do you presume that it can run without the assistance of a DBA. Even in a meeting that was presented to us by our Informix Rep with Paul Brown from the Informix CTO group, when asked by someone, what general staffing requirements were needed? He stated FIRST and FOREMOST that HAVING A GOOD DBA (even to the point of paying them HIGH $$$$$$). Well, if the staff has the expericence base to know that their major versions of Informix can not run without a DBA then what happen to the development of tools and marketing to this group to assist them in performing their job with Informix Engines(trying including Informix 5, at least Online if not SE and Online)! INFORMIX ARE YOU LISTENING???????? Cheryl L. Kendricks Sr. Database Analyst H.E.B Grocery, San Antonio Texas Nils.Myklebust@idg.no on 08/29/97 12:15:04 PM Please respond to Nils.Myklebust@idg.no To: informix-list@rmy.emory.edu cc: (bcc: KENDRICKS CHERYL/HEB45) Subject: Re: character-based tools on NT? junet@informix.com (June Tong) wrote: :Joe Lumbley (jlumbley@netcom.com) wrote: : :: No, I think it is the same issue. Informix wants to position itself as :: a vendor of scalable, cross-OS, cross-platform databases and tools. To :: say that we have to write scripts to do something in UNIX and to have to :: do the same job another way in NT is not a very good cross-OS strategy. :: Sure, go ahead and give us the pretty GUI tools for the command-impaired, :: but let us keep the character-based tools for cross-platform compatibility. : :: Probably the scripts are not the most important part (I don't know of anybody :: using onmonitor in a script but hey, who knows?). The most important part :: to me in a cross-OS environment is the documentation and training :: element. Having to document and train for two totally separate methods of :: doing such things as starting up the database would be a needlessly-complex :: chore, even if the GUI tool had the equivalent functionality as the character- :: based tool. : < much delteted for message brevity> :I'm sorry if you loved onmonitor, but it HAS been taken out of ODS on NT. I do all the DBA work for all my customers. I am however neither writing many scripts (I do occasionally use some I have downloaded, but non are important to me) nor using much of the command line utilities. I do however relize and agree with the importanse of these utilities on Unix as well as NT. What I do use all the time however is onmonitor. I use it for the first installation, starting and stopping engines, monitoring usage, spaces and so on. As it can sometimes be a month or more between each time I use this the idea of using command line tools where you have to remember a large number of extremely cryptic commands is appaling to me to the extent that I would start disliking Informix if I had to do it. The commands are made for scripts and generally ok for that purpose. If you need them often enough they may be ok for direct use as well. They are not for occational human consumption. <much deleted for brevity> Why Informix, are you doing this to us? It would help a lot if you got some people that where a little more technical to describe your products and directions. They would leave out most of the propaganda and give us more real information. 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