Re: Informix running on Linux

cdr@xteam.co.at (Chris Drauch) wrote: :>Tim and Nils about NT or/and Linux ports: :> :>...lot snipped .. :> :>The point is *not* the quality of NT or how ... : :The point is the *danger* for Informix; <cynical and worst case on> :-) : :Microsoft will bundle NT 6.0 with complete ISP functions, Mail/Fax or whatever :document exchange facilities, something like a database - initially written :by company called "crybase" or so :-). This database will do nearly everything :and replace the filesystem (like Explorer replaces Program Manager, Excel and :Word). Included with base operating system ... No need for a bladed database :from other people's. : :</worst case off> Even such a worst case senario may not be neccessary. It allready is hard to sell against MS SQL server on NT, and it will just become harder. Whatever Informix try to claim they have zero performance advantage appart from some short periodes. Even if they had 20 to 50% will not do it. Their one and only chance in the NT market to gain a significant market share is to push Universal Server very hard at an extremely aggressive price. That would require *a lot* of integration with all kinds of MS Windows software. A hard thing to pull off, and very expensive. I still think they should do this. :I see Microsoft eating up the broad range of software manufacturer commited to :the MS/Windows world (or at least eating up their market share). Step by step. : :>However bad I, you or others might think NT is, it's still very :>important from a marketing point of view. We should try to show :>Informix that Linux is as well. It is, and mostly on it's own merits. : :Well, at the moment NT will bring in some revenues. And it's sexy to have :products for MS plattforms. But if *worst case* come in, it was the wrong :strategy having no port for Linux. I don't think Linux alone will save them in such a senario, but I fully agree that it could actually be an important point. Linux is becoming so big it's having a significant impact. In some cases even in big corporat settings. There it could easily eat it's way in like the PC ones did. An Informix port would increas the chances of this happening. As Linux can cooperate so well both with other Unixes and Windows NT servers and NT/95 workstations it's an ideal platform for a small database even here. I think many could use it in conjunction with a web server or for many other purposes. The main purpose may still be to save the small developers and their customers where Informix currently have absolutly nothing to offer. They are abandoned, silch, end of story. Windows NT isn't helpfull. Their 4GL applications do not run. SCO is to expensive (remember it is often not only the OS, but a new PC as well). There is nothing else. When the "war" between Netscape and Microsoft was raging over the user limit on Windows NT 4.0 workstation I don't quite understand why they didn't push their server packaged with Linux in a ready to run setup. They could easily have made a CD that would more or less automatically install Linux, their server software and make it a turnkey web server. Informix can't do this alone. They are not, and can not possibly be, an OS company. They could however do something similar in cooperation with Redhat or whoever have the best Linux OS, distribution and people/organisation to do something like that. There are many other ways to do it as well, and I think Informix should have several options for us on Linux, all using exactly the same port but with different distribution, support or whatever. Nils.Myklebust@idg.no NM Data AS, P.O.Box 9090 Gronland, N-0133 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company The Informix FAQ is at http://www.iiug.org