Re: Microsoft to announce buyout of Informix

Looking at the stock ticker from NetWorth (http://networth.galt.com/) the last trade was at $8. And the trends so far look like the stock is = on a=20 rebound. So a take over is probably not as likely now. But if it does start to drop again Microsoft might just consider buying = out Microsoft. Just look at April 7, 1997 Information Week. On the cover is = the=20 headline: "The Billion He Really Wants" and below that it states: "A = billion NT=20 database transactions a day, that is. At the same time, Gates wants to = support=20 10,000 concurrent users and a trillion bytes of data. But so far, SQL = Server=20 handles fewer than 12 million transactions a day..." What a better way of getting what he wants! Just buy an existing = database=20 company. Then Microsoft can use its marketing abilities and then, maybe, = make=20 Informix the #1 database company. If someone was going to buy Informix, I would like someone else other = than=20 Microsoft to buy it. =20 } Dave Petheram wrote: } >=20 } > Why would the SEC allow it when they didn't allow Bill to takeover } > Intuit? } > }=20 } They probably won't as others have suggested. But nothing surprises } me anymore. } =20 } > dp } >=20 } > In <01bc582a$8096f9e0$38c3f326@mantis> "James McGovern" } > <mcgovej@commandsys.com> writes: } > > } > >When your look at INFORMIX over the last five or so years, think of } > >all the products that have been brought to market by INFORMIX.... = Now } > >think of how much the market has taken up the offering's.... How = much } > >resources do you think it takes to bring a product to market ? How } > >long do you think it takes to return an overall profit on the = product ? } > ..... } > > I'm guessing they have lost heaps of doe ray me over the last few } > > years because of diversification. } > > }=20 } Diversification or distribution? }=20 } I think the diversity is less of an issue more than how the products = are } distributed. To see the big turn-around, we'll have to see a new way } of doing business. Informix can do better, and I think it could = happen. }=20 } > >One thing is certain, When money in the door slows down and money = out } > >the door speeds up your asking for a takeover and I can't think of = any } > >other company that has the proven record in software development = like } > >Microsoft. When you think Captain Billy boy has taken the idea of } > >creating a dos for dummies environment and ran with it and now look = at } > >the giant he has made. I can't wait to see what will happen with } > >INFORMIX and thank god we all have the opportunity to be there at = the } > >start. }=20 } The market Microsoft has traditionally gone after is in their name, = the } small single-user unit. From single-user, they've tried to scale up, } on THEIR terms. They have learned slowly to scale their products } to a multi-user paradigm. But even at that, they resist the UNIX = model, } with disdain. To adopt a multi-user environment like UNIX, they first } have to find a way to create their own UNIX, and then act like they've } always supported UNIX, only now they've somehow overcome 20+ years of=20 } computing wisdom. }=20 } However of late we are seeing even Microsoft on edge, with the same=20 } vulnerability to supernova as any other big player out there. The=20 } bigger you are the harder you fall. Witness IBM, who is now in the } process once again of reinventing themselves. }=20 } Informix will do well to understand the Achilles heel of Microsoft, } and run with it. If they took a small-scale O/S, say Linux for = example, } port the latest products to it, it could be a real win. They don't=20 } want to end up like Sybase. :-) }=20 } I keep thinking Microsoft will catch on to the multi-user market, but=20 } now the biggest thing they really want to do is replace Novell } business. =20 } This is a total miss of how technology is moving, or where things will = =20 } ultimately be. =20 }=20 } It's so simple, use TCP/IP for networks, and a true multi-tasking O/S=20 } for your server. Add clients, yes Win95 PCs for GUIs, if you must, or = =20 } Telnet VT100s, and you're done. GUI tools are now available to talk = to=20 } UNIX servers to keep things pretty for the end-user. Data must } ultimately=20 } be stored in a data base. UNIX will remain as the best place to keep = it } managable and secure. NT is a scary platform security-wise, with so } much } of NT being undocumented, now would be a good time to replace it. }=20 } --=20 } Tim Schaefer \\\\|// =20 } tschaefe@mindspring.com (6 6) =20 } ------------------------oOOo---( )---o00o--------- } http://www.mindspring.com/~tschaefe } http://www.inxutil.com ( http://207.69.204.52 ) } MAKE TIDAL WAVES THE OCEAN IS BIG