Re: Informix vs. Oracle wuz: Re: Informix?

Something you haven't mentioned. Oracle came from the mainframe world. Informix came from the Unix world. At the time of Oracles ascendancy mainframes were the thing, they've been able to branch out from that position. We're still hooked to Unix - although now that there is a 'new' OS that is growing in use, and that we have the best SQL engine for, we stand a fairer shot at that market. cheers j. At 08:39 AM 10/31/97 +0200, you wrote: }On 30 Oct 97 at 22:15, Michael Segel wrote: } }> Daniel Wright wrote: }> > }> > And they're still a database company too. }> > I'm not sure what Oracle is anymore...their recent TV ads seem to }> > indicate they're trying to diversify into household appliances. }> > }> > The Elliotts wrote: }> [Somthing stupid and not worth commenting on.] }> }> Basically, why Oracle is capable of expanding into new technologies }> and Informix is still trying to survive the investor lawsuits, and }> maintain their market share. } }Marketing. } }(That was one for the c.u.s brigade....) } }<RANT> }Really. If I look back at the last thirteen years of my life, I've }always had to resort to positioning Informix to computer illiterati }as: "You know what Oracle is? Informix is like that, only better." } }Everyone knows Oracle. It's like Microsoft. People automatically have }faith in it because of the size and market presence. The illiterati }all know Oracle. It's advertised everywhere. They're seen. Informix }isn't. And it's definitely not seen in an organised, co-ordinated, }planned way. } }Informix, WAKE UP!!! You *do* have the best technology. But lay folk }don't *buy* *technology*. They buy a feeling of confidence that a }product is solid, reliable, respectable. And, sadly, IT folks don't }seem to be making the strategic decisions around here. Can you }imagine going to the chairman of (say) General Motors and saying }"Informix is like Oracle, only better"? He's going to say "But I've }heard of Oracle. I'm not going to bank my business on some }Johnny-come-lately." He doesn't give a rat's ass about the }technology. } }Informix are very sensibly restructuring their management and setting }themselves up for a new level of business. But once again, there }seems to be no real marketing strategy. They need to win hearts and }minds. Saturation presence. The sort of thing that Informix on Linux }would give them. } }(One for our regular viewers...) } }Informix on Linux is not a panacea. And it's no substitute for a }real, sustained, coherent, comprehensive marketing campaign. But it }can achieve saturation presence *and* directly make money. Ask any }marketer about how rare that is. }</RANT> } }-- }Ciao, }Billy } }Finger up the nose in: Johannesburg, Sarf Efrica. }Get the Informix FAQs of life at http://www.iiug.org/techinfo/faq/faq_top.html }Need to get some drivel into your life? http://www.west.co.za/tasteless/ } }