Re: Q: Legal status of SW that Informix does not longer sell or support

Nils.Myklebust@idg.no (Nils Myklebust) wrote: > >Of course not. >They would take your livelihood away, or some significant part of it, >and no court would uphold that (in any sensible leagal system). >This does of course presuppose that there is no sensible upgrade path, >which seems to be the case in your particular situation. Sensible. Interesting word. Let's see: I have 5 users of I-4Gl for W, connected to On Line 5.x on SCO. They wont one more user. I will repeat that: one more user.(or maybe two.) They ask Informix for license. No can do. Discontinued. Ok, let's be sensible. Buy 6 NE runtime license. Buy 6 I-Net license. Pay for 4GL to NE conversion (if you can find anyone), and wait xx months. Buy 6 new PC with at least (this and that). Pay for training of users. Go through the nightmare of finding bugs for next xx months. (Put here anithing that I have forgotten) Total money --------------------------------(put your estimate here) Total time -----------------------------------(put your estimate here) Time is money so, let's sum this---------(put your estimate here) Let me be specific: Money aside, they need (repeat: need) to do it now! There business is suffering. I know that in many places on this planet people would simply "copy that floppy", but just right now, in my "sensible legal system" there is a big campaign going on, and they are putting people in jail for that left an right. This product was purchased in 1994. Now is 1997. 3 years. Will the same happen to NE (and if I remember correctly at least You will agree with that this is possible) in 3 years, or will I have to suggest to them to buy at least 500 user license, if they want to be able to expand there business in next 10 years? Or should they consider themselves lucky because they have 10 user license for OnLine 5, an they do not have to buy Universal Server right now? Am I making any sense('ible)? >However you would have to make some agreament with them, and it would >have to be reasonable on both sides. If I where Informix I would in >your spesific case allow you to copy that old software for free, but a >small fee would also be appropriate. > Informix people that I was talking to say that they was explicitly forbidden to make such an agreement for software that is no longer supported. > >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 #include<std.disclaimer.h> **************************************************************** * Andrej Falout, RDBMS R&D, Croatia, Europe, afalout@zg.tel.hr * *--------------------------------------------------------------* * If you can read, You can do it ! * ****************************************************************