Re: IIUG - New engine survey, your input needed

"Lawyer's rule", eh? As I said, I don't know the reasons why a particular version is marketed one way and another version another way. An interested viewer who cared to impart a positive spin to the message might choose to say that Informix is taking care of its customers by releasing 7.3 as early as possible, and will take care of the remaining segment by releasing 9.2 when it is ready--and not before. This presents a problem in the short term of having many versions active and not "in synch." I would certainly *not* choose to interpret this version multiplicity as an intentional move to copy Oracle's strategy. I would also not interpret it as a deliberate message that 9.1 isn't good or important enough to warrant promotion. It would appear that 9.2 is not yet ready for such promotion. But as you already know, the "NT Free" promotion includes upgrades when they become available. Personally, I said a year and a half ago, loudly, that Informix should do what it is now doing--move to a unified ORDBMS product line. This will take time. I don't feel it is productive to attack intermediate steps along this path. There is still a long way to go, incorporating the v8 products and the small-system products into a well-articulated strategy, as well as tools and "tool-helper" offerings. I do appreciate your insight, though. It is good that you are looking at the bigger picture. Let us strive to see the even bigger view. Clem At 10:12 PM 17-06-98 -0400, Seth Grimes wrote: >Clem, I should point out that the trial lawyer's rule "don't ask a >question unless you already know the answer" applies to my notes. > >I'm an Informix user, professional-services subcontractor, and >stockholder. I think that Informix is STILL managing to find lots of >opportunities to harm themselves. There's the confusing multiplicity >of "Dynamic Servers" -- I remember Michael Stonebraker at the '96 >Informix conference criticizing Oracle's "universal server" as being >a grab-bag of engines under a single name, and then Informix >marketing goes and copies pages from Oracle's book -- and there's >the message sent by making only 7.30 available free to developers >that 9.1x still isn't good enough or important enough. > > Seth > >> At 12:02 PM 17-06-98 -0400, Seth Grimes wrote: >> >Clem Akins writes: >> > >> >> Your wish is granted! In version 7.3, Informix accomplished the goal >> >> of merging the 7 and 9 code streams. With the coming 9.2 release, this >> >> unified code stream will clearly demonstrate Informix's seriousness about >> >> OR technology. I invite you to attend Informix's "9.2 Features" class, >> >> which will be available to the public with the General Availability of >> >> the product. >> > >> > So are you saying that 9.2 is a superset of 7.3, that everything >> >in 7.3 is in 9.2? >> >> I was intentionally vague on that point. You must be very careful >> about differentiating my views from the official dogma. Officially, the >> relationship of 9.2 to 7.3 has not been formally defined. >> >> >From what I can see at this early date though, the answer is "yes", that >> 9.2 is a superset of 7.3, and is the upgrade path from 7.x. >> >> > When will 9.2 be generally available and when it is, will Informix >> >distributed free Windows NT licenses as the company's now doing for 7.30? >> >> Very early projections call for 9.2 to be generally available in Q4. The >> press release pertaining to the free NT licenses indicates that upgrades >> are included. >> >> >And do you have any explanation why free 9.14 licenses aren't available? >> >> No. _____________________________________________________________ Clem Akins (aka clem@informix.com) Menlo Park x5937 Customer Course Development Manager Informix Software, Inc Last seen: Watching a sunrise, beach camping in California