Re: Where The Fuck is the Informix Developer Edition V11 Download?

Posted in 2007

Mark Townsend — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 03:57:54 GMT — source: Usenet: comp.databases.informix

dcruncher4@aim.com wrote: > In article <475F87A0.6060405@sbcglobal.net>, Mark Townsend says... >>>>> Madison - your are reading this wrong. I wrote the license for XE and >>>>> it does not 'inherit' restrictions from any other license. You can >>>>> use XE freely for whatever you want, as long as you stay within the >>>>> limits of the product - 4 GB of data etc. You can definitely deploy >>>>> XE in production without charge. You can also distribute it, and >>>>> teach with it, etc etc. >>>> Thank you, Mark, for clearing up the apparent misunderstanding. >>> Mark, are you speaking as an Oracle spokesperson here? Just curious. >>> >>> Cheers >>> Serge >> Hmm - not sure where this one is going. Legal guard goes up. >> >> If you want to quote me somewhere, or have an official verification, >> then feel free to email me at my daytime persona and I will confirm what >> I have said above "officially". Or alternatively, post the question to >> the XE forum on OTN and I will respond in kind there as well. > > In other words what you wrote above about the licensing restriction > of XE is not official. So Oracle can disagree with whatever you > wrote above and can always point out to OTN for the exact words > and its interpretation. > I do work for Oracle, I am an official spokesperson for Oracle (http://www.oracle.com/corporate/pressroom/html/mtownsend.html). I don't read newsgroups from within Oracle because reading newsgroups at Oracle is not a good use of my time. Besides, I haven't been back at the office since this started (busy, busy, busy...) I don't send email from my home machine using my Oracle account (well, I do, but via a webclient VPNed back into the Oracle network). Our corporate security and governance guys really like this. So if you need an official clarification, that Oracle will stand behind, then email me at Oracle, and I will provide one. From the email server at Oracle so it's all clear and professional and legally supportable etc. Pretty simple really. No conspiracy. Seems the collective c.d.i. newsgroup brain is checked out on this one. I mean, we have had millions of downloads of XE, and hundreds of thousands of forum posts, and so far only one guy from Informix has found a problem with the wording on the license. Go figure.

↪ replying to Mark Townsend

InDeep — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:45:44 -0800 — source: Usenet: comp.databases.informix

Mark Townsend wrote: > dcruncher4@aim.com wrote: >> In article <475F87A0.6060405@sbcglobal.net>, Mark Townsend says... >>>>>> Madison - your are reading this wrong. I wrote the license for XE >>>>>> and it does not 'inherit' restrictions from any other license. You >>>>>> can use XE freely for whatever you want, as long as you stay >>>>>> within the limits of the product - 4 GB of data etc. You can >>>>>> definitely deploy XE in production without charge. You can also >>>>>> distribute it, and teach with it, etc etc. >>>>> Thank you, Mark, for clearing up the apparent misunderstanding. >>>> Mark, are you speaking as an Oracle spokesperson here? Just curious. >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> Serge >>> Hmm - not sure where this one is going. Legal guard goes up. >>> >>> If you want to quote me somewhere, or have an official verification, >>> then feel free to email me at my daytime persona and I will confirm >>> what I have said above "officially". Or alternatively, post the >>> question to the XE forum on OTN and I will respond in kind there as >>> well. >> >> In other words what you wrote above about the licensing restriction >> of XE is not official. So Oracle can disagree with whatever you >> wrote above and can always point out to OTN for the exact words >> and its interpretation. >> > > I do work for Oracle, I am an official spokesperson for Oracle > (http://www.oracle.com/corporate/pressroom/html/mtownsend.html). > > I don't read newsgroups from within Oracle because reading newsgroups at > Oracle is not a good use of my time. Besides, I haven't been back at the > office since this started (busy, busy, busy...) > > I don't send email from my home machine using my Oracle account (well, I > do, but via a webclient VPNed back into the Oracle network). Our > corporate security and governance guys really like this. > > So if you need an official clarification, that Oracle will stand behind, > then email me at Oracle, and I will provide one. From the email server > at Oracle so it's all clear and professional and legally supportable etc. > > Pretty simple really. No conspiracy. Seems the collective c.d.i. > newsgroup brain is checked out on this one. I mean, we have had millions > of downloads of XE, and hundreds of thousands of forum posts, and so far > only one guy from Informix has found a problem with the wording on the > license. Go figure. > Interestingly, Oracles' download page is remarkably simple, less than 5 clicks to download Oracle software. Even less if you're already registered. I did not see the words Trial or Time-limited on anything like that so far. Oracles' web site has certainly evolved over the years, but I never got the feeling of being lost on oracle.com like I do when I go to IBMs' website. Not that I'll ever get excited about Oracle, but the billable these days is obscene enough to be compelling--even though the product is complete shyte. If there is anyone out there that can find somebody to buy Informix away from IBM it would be the same feeling I'm almost sure like winning the lottery, although that too has eluded me.