RE: When It Couldn't Get Any Better

I can tell you that the issue is that IBM doesn't market individual products. This could be why Janet et al called the pillar DB2 and the product DB2 so that you can advertise the brand and the product. Of course, at the time, the DB2 pillar had DB2 and their CM product based on DB2... ;-) With respect to Sun, their challenge is to take the MySQL "install" base and get them to either buy Sun hardware or cough up the license fee for use in production. (Of course some of that revenue goes to Oracle...) The heavy lifting hasn't been done and unless Sun can show how this purchase can be converted in to revenue, heads will roll. That being that the heavy lifting is getting the installed base to actually *license* MySQL. The biggest difference between IBM and Sun is that Sun is more flexible from a management perspective. To Steve Mills, IDS is one of 70+ products that IBM SWG sells. > From: indeep@indeep.com > Subject: Re: When It Couldn't Get Any Better > Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:23:14 -0800 > To: informix-list@iiug.org > > OS/2 anyone? > > IBM has a history of missed opportunities. > > Just because you're big and 'successful' with a lot of crap software doesn't > mean your company is invincible. > > As much as Informix has benefited from IBMs' money and effort, it may never > really go anywhere simply because the top end of the company is too busy > selling crap and missing opportunities with their better products such as > Informix. > > In looking at the IFMX developer program, IBM is depending heavily on people that > already know about the product. The developer site looks better than it has > in quite a while, but it's only important if you already know about it. IBM > needs to get outside their website, and outside the IIUG. They need to <ahem> > ADVERTISE Informix outside their space. They need to show up where the big > market is, the kids! Where's the free iPod? Where's the hoodie? As far as > the dot-com segment is concerned, MySQL rules dude. But if you see how bad > it really is when you start to ramp it up, where do the kids go? Oracle! > > Sun won't have to work hard with their newly acquired MySQL, simply because > the heavy lifting has already been done. > > > Ian Michael Gumby wrote: > > Does this shock you? > > > > Give credit where credit is do. Sun is putting a great spin on MySQL. > > Sun should have bought Informix but they didn't want to piss off Oracle. > > (Or so the story goes....) I think Sun did a wonderful job promoting > > their new acquisition. > > > > I agree to your point though. What is IBM doing? Their idea of thinking > > out of the box is to have the IIUG offer a free trip (conference fees > > only) to their 2009 conference as a way getting "grass roots" videos made. > > > > Unfortunately thats not too original. Frito-Lay (Doritos) offered > > $10,000 and the winning ad was showcased during the super bowl. > > > > Not that I'm flaming certain marketing folks within the IM pillar. They > > have their hands tied and are trying to do things that they can't do > > "through channels". > > > > I would suggest that they read a book: > > http://www.amazon.com/Under-Radar-Talking-Cynical-Consumer/dp/0471174696/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204205136&sr=1-1 > > *Under the Radar: Talking to Today's Cynical Consumer > > > > *Granted the book may be a bit dated, but its a great source of getting > > one to think outside of the box. > > Its a light read and after reading it, you should sit down with some > > liquid logic enhancers and brain storm. ;-) > > > > -G > > > > > From: indeep@indeep.com > > > Subject: When It Couldn't Get Any Better > > > Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:41:38 -0800 > > > To: informix-list@iiug.org > > > > > > Got this email from Sun... It is a lot of hype, but unfortunately, > > most of the kids who could actually read this will > > > believe it without proof of any kind. Informix needs to get out there > > and counter this kind of marketing with its own > > > brand of bravado, only with some facts. Let's see some benchmarks, > > and let's see IBM get into the MySQL space! Geez > > > it's not too hard to beat MySQL, all you have to do is start showing > > up where MySQL is, and poof, you get the market > > > that matters the most, the kids! > > > > > > == > > > > > > > > > Sun Acquires MySQL > > > 26 February 2008 > > > > > > Dear (sic) You , > > > > > > Today is a big day for Sun and the MySQL community. We have closed > > our acquisition of MySQL AB and proudly joined forces > > > with this open source icon and the company behind the world's most > > popular open source database. Sun already is the > > > leading provider of platforms for the Web economy and the largest > > commercial open source contributor. As of today, Sun > > > also is a formidable player in the $15 billion database market. We > > thank you — our joint customers, developers and > > > community members — for making this possible. > > > > > > Already, MySQL, downloaded 60,000 times a day (or once every two > > seconds), is by far the most popular platform on which > > > modern developers are creating network services. Enterprises and > > developers alike want fast, scalable and open solutions > > > backed by world-class communities and support — from web-based > > companies like Facebook and Google to finance and > > > telecommunications companies, to high schools and college campuses, > > to startups, high performance computing labs and IT > > > managers in the Global 2000 who take a more hands-on approach. The > > rapid adoption of MySQL is breathtaking. > > > > > > But there remain unlimited possibilities, particularly with more > > traditional CIOs who disallow the usage of products > > > that aren't backed by commercial support relationships or who are > > simply more comfortable relying on vendors like Sun to > > > manage global, critical infrastructure. > > > > > > Together, Sun and MySQL have an opportunity to achieve Unlimited > > Scale. Providing global enterprise-class support > > > 24x7x365, Sun can grow the MySQL customer base and community even > > further. If you've been watching Sun over the last > > > number of years, you'll know Sun is already committed to the business > > model at the heart of MySQL's success - first > > > investing to grow communities of users and developers, and only then > > creating commercial services that attract (rather > > > than lock in) paying customers. > > > > > > Our enterprise customers worldwide can now take advantage of MySQL's > > market-leading open source database on your choice > > > of platform, OS and language with less risk — for up to a 90% lower > > total cost of ownership over many traditional > > > database solutions. MySQL users, as with Sun's, already run MySQL > > across every major operating system — Linux, Windows, > > > Solaris and the Mac — and every major system platform, from IBM, > > Intel, AMD, Dell, Sun and HP. Even more so today, Sun > > > provides the most complete suite of support options to rapidly build > > and deploy fast, efficient, effective and secure > > > Web-based applicati