SE & ESQL/C 4.1 Errors and Rotten Support

Greetings, I just got ESQL/C 4.1 (and am annoyed to see people talking about 5.01) but I have already encountered several problems. I have MSC7.0 and MSVC7.1. I can compile a program in 7.0 and it will work but the same code compiled under 7.1 causes the SE to gripe "Cannot open netsvc.iem" (after you run the SQLCODE through rgetmsg()). I realize that 4.1 offically supports only MSC5.1 and MSC6.0 but the entire conversion between 6.0 and 7.0 seems to be #include(ing) the prototypes and doing a global search and replace on the esql -e output to change the (badly chosen in the first place) "(char *) 0" 's to "NULL" 's. The regular compilation command would work too if the (also badly chosen in the first place) "/NOD" (turn off default libraries) option were not sent to the linker. (There is no aparent way to customize this without patching the esql command with debug). Menawhile, the broken licencing mechanisim that is looking for a network licence module to allow access to a network I do not have, is standing squarly in the way of my finishing my work. Why do is sound so annoyed? Informix dosn't seem to care. The 90 day support terminates earily if you successfully *INSTALL* the package. <== DUMB POLOCY #1. You can't even call in a bug *fix* unless you have a maintenance contract. <== DUMB POLOCY #2. The "non-technical" support people maning the phones are not capable of telling the difference between a bug report and a help-desk question. JUST PLAIN SUICIDAL. The whole transaction left a sour taste in my mouth and doubts as to the long-term viability of Informix as a company. IBM acts this same way and look at their falling market share. Informix dosn't have anywhere near as far to fall. I fully apreciate that Informix has no intrest in designing my database or debugging my logic unless I have paid extra for that service. I even apreciate that charging extra for that kind of support allows for a cheaper product to those of us who do not need the extra help. What is broken here is that there is not someone of sufficient skill avaliable to make the necessary judgment call available *SOMEWARE* in the customer support higherarchy. This lack probably explains why the ESQL/C product only supports only one compiler vendor, and is a good two releases behind current to boot. Aparently there is no real intrest in what the experienced grunt user could contribute to the products they provide. Signed, Disillusioned in San Diego 8-) Robert White Network Administrator National University.