What's in a name? Informix vs IDS

This post is sure to get the attention ofa few of you here. This is a company-wide message that was received from our product manager, who was apparently given the directive by our IBM reps. The following bulletin was sent to our support staff : ------------------------- "...Effective immediately (we) should be referring to the Informix database as IBM’s Informix Dynamic Server (IDS). IBM does not use the Informix naming convention any longer....Our agreements, documentation, customer correspondence will need to be changed slowly, moving forward..." ------------------------- For years I have been calling it the "Informix database" with my customers. Now I have to say and write the "IBM IDS database"? The customers have no idea what I'm talking about. They say "You mean our Informix database?" Is IBM trying to camoflage the RDBMS origins, get their name in there, or is this a precursor to being merged with another RDBMS product some day way in the future? I asked a member of IBM's Information Management Software Group this recently in a recent seminar about the new compression features, and his answer was "Don't worry about that. Internally, we are still calling it Informix. I believe that is just some IBM management-type's new push to get away from the Informix name and have it more closely associated as an IBM product..."

"steven_nospam at Yahoo! Canada" <steven_nospam@yahoo.ca> wrote in message news:834dbade-c48c-432a-afad-c6dd31d08e2e@g1g2000yqh.googlegroups.com... This post is sure to get the attention ofa few of you here. This is a company-wide message that was received from our product manager, who was apparently given the directive by our IBM reps. The following bulletin was sent to our support staff : ------------------------- "...Effective immediately (we) should be referring to the Informix database as IBM's Informix Dynamic Server (IDS). IBM does not use the Informix naming convention any longer....Our agreements, documentation, customer correspondence will need to be changed slowly, moving forward..." ------------------------- >> For years I have been calling it the "Informix database" with my customers. Now I have to say and write the "IBM IDS database"? The customers have no idea what I'm talking about. They say "You mean our Informix database?" >> Is IBM trying to camoflage the RDBMS origins, get their name in there, or is this a precursor to being merged with another RDBMS product some day way in the future? >> I asked a member of IBM's Information Management Software Group this recently in a recent seminar about the new compression features, and his answer was "Don't worry about that. Internally, we are still calling it Informix. I believe that is just some IBM management-type's new push to get away from the Informix name and have it more closely associated as an IBM product..." Well, good on them I say. I always refer to the product as "IBM Informix Dynamic Server" and refer to "IBM Informix software licences" when communicating with customers. The fact is that one of Informix's many strengths is that it's owned and backed by IBM, and IBM's name gets you into places that Informix's - or dare I even say it, Ardenta's - sometimes cannot. Don't get me wrong, I'm as distressed as anyone that IBM cannot bring itself to market Informix properly, but surely any move to link IBM and Informix, or IDS, more closely in the minds of customers has surely got to be an unmitigatedly Good Thing ...?

I don't see this as a change of any substance. Since 2001 it's been IBM Informix Dynamic Server. I find it a good sign that IBM is finally owning the product. Art Art S. Kagel Oninit (www.oninit.com) IIUG Board of Directors (art@iiug.org) Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that my own opinions are my own opinions and do not reflect on my employer, Oninit, the IIUG, nor any other organization with which I am associated either explicitly or implicitly. Neither do those opinions reflect those of other individuals affiliated with any entity with which I am affiliated nor those of the entities themselves. On Fri, May 1, 2009 at 3:14 PM, steven_nospam at Yahoo! Canada < steven_nospam@yahoo.ca> wrote: > This post is sure to get the attention ofa few of you here. This is a > company-wide message that was received from our product manager, who > was apparently given the directive by our IBM reps. > > The following bulletin was sent to our support staff : > > ------------------------- > "...Effective immediately (we) should be referring to the Informix > database as IBM’s Informix Dynamic Server (IDS). IBM does not use the > Informix naming convention any longer....Our agreements, > documentation, customer correspondence will need to be changed slowly, > moving forward..." > ------------------------- > > For years I have been calling it the "Informix database" with my > customers. Now I have to say and write the "IBM IDS database"? The > customers have no idea what I'm talking about. They say "You mean our > Informix database?" > > Is IBM trying to camoflage the RDBMS origins, get their name in there, > or is this a precursor to being merged with another RDBMS product some > day way in the future? > > I asked a member of IBM's Information Management Software Group this > recently in a recent seminar about the new compression features, and > his answer was "Don't worry about that. Internally, we are still > calling it Informix. I believe that is just some IBM management-type's > new push to get away from the Informix name and have it more closely > associated as an IBM product..." > > _______________________________________________ > Informix-list mailing list > Informix-list@iiug.org > http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list >

steven_nospam at Yahoo! Canada wrote: > This post is sure to get the attention of a few of you here. This is a > company-wide message that was received from our product manager, who > was apparently given the directive by our IBM reps. > > The following bulletin was sent to our support staff : > > ------------------------- > "...Effective immediately (we) should be referring to the Informix > database as IBM's Informix Dynamic Server (IDS). IBM does not use the > Informix naming convention any longer....Our agreements, > documentation, customer correspondence will need to be changed slowly, > moving forward..." > ------------------------- I've been using IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) since 2001; it is hardly news. The name "Informix Dynamic Server" is prefixed by IBM, and the product is abbreviated to IDS (rather than, say, IIDS). What's the issue? > For years I have been calling it the "Informix database" Well, IDS isn't a database; it is a DBMS used to manage databases. It also wasn't "the Informix DBMS" (though there would be a case for saying it was the main or principal DBMS); there was also SE and XPS, not to mention RedBrick, UniVerse, UniData, Cloudscape, OnLine, and probably others - ignoring the gyrations in the naming of IDS itself. > with my > customers. Now I have to say and write the "IBM IDS database"? The > customers have no idea what I'm talking about. They say "You mean our > Informix database?" Write "IBM Informix Dynamic Server", aka Informix (sloppy) or IDS. Spell it out in full the first time you use it, and include IDS in brackets, and then use IDS. IDS was in use by Informix for a number of years before IBM bought Informix. > Is IBM trying to camouflage the RDBMS origins, get their name in there, > or is this a precursor to being merged with another RDBMS product some > day way in the future? It is the standard way to refer to the product, and has been for many years. > I asked a member of IBM's Information Management Software Group this > recently in a recent seminar about the new compression features, and > his answer was "Don't worry about that. Internally, we are still > calling it Informix. I believe that is just some IBM management-type's > new push to get away from the Informix name and have it more closely > associated as an IBM product..." Given what you quoted, I don't see that IBM is changing anything. It is reiterating the name that has been used for the last 8 years or so. -- Jonathan Leffler #include <disclaimer.h> Email: jleffler@earthlink.net, jleffler@us.ibm.com Guardian of DBD::Informix v2008.0229 -- http://dbi.perl.org/ publictimestamp.org/ptb/PTB-6065 tiger128 2009-05-03 03:00:05 DC3E4C872D44BEEE4DD333756FAAD09C

> Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 20:38:45 -0700 > From: jleffler@earthlink.net > > Given what you quoted, I don't see that IBM is changing anything. It is > reiterating the name that has been used for the last 8 years or so. > > Jonathan, I think the point is that this is the *first* time IBM is trying to actually enforce the idea of the name change. When we came over, the 'lab consultants' were not happy with the fact that the Informix Heritage consultants for the most part didn't come out of Informix's labs. There were several name changes that we went through, however for the customer, it was just easier saying 'lab services' instead of IBM's DB2/Information Management's professional services. As Art said, this is kind of a positive thing. -G _________________________________________________________________ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd1_052009

> Date: Sat, 2 May 2009 20:38:45 -0700 > From: jleffler@earthlink.net > > Given what you quoted, I don't see that IBM is changing anything. It is > reiterating the name that has been used for the last 8 years or so. > > Jonathan, I think the point is that this is the *first* time IBM is trying to actually enforce the idea of the name change. When we came over, the 'lab consultants' were not happy with the fact that the Informix Heritage consultants for the most part didn't come out of Informix's labs. There were several name changes that we went through, however for the customer, it was just easier saying 'lab services' instead of IBM's DB2/Information Management's professional services. As Art said, this is kind of a positive thing. -G _________________________________________________________________ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd1_052009

On May 3, 1:07 pm, Ian Michael Gumby <im_gu...@hotmail.com> wrote: > I think the point is that this is the *first* time IBM is trying to actually enforce the idea of the name change. > > When we came over, the 'lab consultants' were not happy with the fact that the Informix Heritage consultants for the most part didn't come out of Informix's labs. There were several name changes that we went through, however for the customer, it was just easier saying 'lab services' instead of IBM's DB2/Information Management's professional services. Exactly my point. And I didn't say that it was a bad thing to link IBM and Informix. I just found it strange that with all the other issues we could be focusing on, our company would get a memo coming down from management about what we should be calling the software. When I refer to it, I usually start my documentation/training sessions/ etc with "IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS)" as the name. But then I used to shorten that to "Informix", like many of my colleagues here.... (the Informix instance, the Informix database, the Informix DBA, etc...) It was just easier than saying the long name, and clearer to my non-technical clientele that were told for years that they had been sold an "Informix" database or Informix relational database software. But I was told that in IBM management, using the name "Informix" is apparently now being frowned upon. They want to refer to it as IBM IDS and not see the name "Informix" there at all. I don't know...maybe I'm just making a mountain out of a molehill. Actually, I wasn't even trying to make a mountian...more like a speed bump. ;-) Steve

In Dr. Arvind Krishna's keynote address to the IIUG Conference last Monday, he displayed a new set of coordinated logos for IBM Data Management products on which was proudly and obviously displayed "Informix Software" in equal billing, size, and color with DB2 Software. Whoever is discouraging using "Informix" is behind the curve, that was changed about 18 months ago IIRC. Art Art S. Kagel Oninit (www.oninit.com) IIUG Board of Directors (art@iiug.org) Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that my own opinions are my own opinions and do not reflect on my employer, Oninit, the IIUG, nor any other organization with which I am associated either explicitly or implicitly. Neither do those opinions reflect those of other individuals affiliated with any entity with which I am affiliated nor those of the entities themselves. On Mon, May 4, 2009 at 4:23 PM, steven_nospam at Yahoo! Canada < steven_nospam@yahoo.ca> wrote: > On May 3, 1:07 pm, Ian Michael Gumby <im_gu...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > I think the point is that this is the *first* time IBM is trying to > actually enforce the idea of the name change. > > > > When we came over, the 'lab consultants' were not happy with the fact > that the Informix Heritage consultants for the most part didn't come out of > Informix's labs. There were several name changes that we went through, > however for the customer, it was just easier saying 'lab services' instead > of IBM's DB2/Information Management's professional services. > > > > Exactly my point. > > And I didn't say that it was a bad thing to link IBM and Informix. I > just found it strange that with all the other issues we could be > focusing on, our company would get a memo coming down from management > about what we should be calling the software. > > When I refer to it, I usually start my documentation/training sessions/ > etc with "IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS)" as the name. But then I > used to shorten that to "Informix", like many of my colleagues here.... > (the Informix instance, the Informix database, the Informix DBA, > etc...) It was just easier than saying the long name, and clearer to > my non-technical clientele that were told for years that they had been > sold an "Informix" database or Informix relational database software. > > But I was told that in IBM management, using the name "Informix" is > apparently now being frowned upon. They want to refer to it as IBM IDS > and not see the name "Informix" there at all. > > I don't know...maybe I'm just making a mountain out of a molehill. > Actually, I wasn't even trying to make a mountian...more like a speed > bump. ;-) > > Steve > _______________________________________________ > Informix-list mailing list > Informix-list@iiug.org > http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list >

steven_nospam at Yahoo! Canada wrote: > On May 3, 1:07 pm, Ian Michael Gumby <im_gu...@hotmail.com> wrote: > >> I think the point is that this is the *first* time IBM is trying to actually enforce the idea of the name change. >> >> When we came over, the 'lab consultants' were not happy with the fact that the Informix Heritage consultants for the most part didn't come out of Informix's labs. There were several name changes that we went through, however for the customer, it was just easier saying 'lab services' instead of IBM's DB2/Information Management's professional services. > > > > Exactly my point. > > And I didn't say that it was a bad thing to link IBM and Informix. I > just found it strange that with all the other issues we could be > focusing on, our company would get a memo coming down from management > about what we should be calling the software. > > When I refer to it, I usually start my documentation/training sessions/ > etc with "IBM Informix Dynamic Server (IDS)" as the name. But then I > used to shorten that to "Informix", like many of my colleagues here.... > (the Informix instance, the Informix database, the Informix DBA, > etc...) It was just easier than saying the long name, and clearer to > my non-technical clientele that were told for years that they had been > sold an "Informix" database or Informix relational database software. > I started early to *write* IBM Informix... but in day to day talk with technical people I just say (after all this years) "Informix". I work with a lot of IBM products in my usual customer, and all of them have "shortcuts". To give you a few examples, I don't say "IBM WebSphere Application Server" or "IBM InfoSphere Information Server" or "IBM Rational Application Developer". I simply say "WebSphere" or WAS, and "Information Server" or "Datastage" (different stuff, as the second is part of the first), or RAD etc. But of course, if I have to write something a bit more formal I use the formal, complete name... I don't have any "new" info about this... just plain old news... You certainly also noted that most of the product messages were changed from "Informix Software" to something like "IBM Informix...". This happened just after the acquisition and is standard practice will most if not all acquired products... Regards. -- Fernando Nunes Portugal http://informix-technology.blogspot.com My email works... but I don't check it frequently...