RE: Announcing: The IBM Customer Advisory Council for Informix

Hamilton, Jerry said: > > Sign me up for the IBM Council, I promise I'll bury my PeopleSoft axe. In whose head, though? -- Bye now, Obnoxio "C'est pas parce qu'on n'a rien ' dire qu'il faut fermer sa gueule" - Coluche did i mention i like nulls? heck, i even go so far as to say that all columns in a table except the primary key could/should be nullable. this has certain advantages, for example, if you need to insert a child record and you don't have a parent row for it, just do an insert into the parent table with the primary key value (everything else null), and voila, relational integrity is preserved. but this is, admittedly, a bit controversial among modellers. --r937, dbforums.com

Just some clarification - the Customer Advisory Council for Informix was created simply to bring more customer input into IBM just like the CAC for DB2. It's not meant as a "replacement" or "alternative" to the IIUG board, or a "competitor." I had wanted to start an "Informix Client Council" a couple of years ago - this is just a formal approach to allow IBM to get customer input much like the DB2 CAC. Thanks - Mark.

mark.scranton@gmail.com wrote: > Just some clarification - the Customer Advisory Council for Informix > was created simply to bring more customer input into IBM just like the > CAC for DB2. It's not meant as a "replacement" or "alternative" to the > IIUG board, or a "competitor." I had wanted to start an "Informix > Client Council" a couple of years ago - this is just a formal approach > to allow IBM to get customer input much like the DB2 CAC. > > Thanks - > Mark. > Mark, "User Groups" or a "CAC" are not unique to IBM or Informix, many companies have this kind of user/customer connection. But most of the others that I have ever been involved in are up front and 'honest' about their intentions, and their origins. A "CAC" coming from IBM is understood that this is "inbound" marketing, from customers and/or end-users in to IBM. But it should not be confused as an ombudsman organization i.e. the IIUG, which I think is what you are alluding to. FWIW the IIUG was originally an ombudsman type of organization, but became tainted by money coming from Informix, and the insistence by the board that an Informix employee or employees sit on the board, thus melding it with the very company it was to provide user representation to. It is instead a hybrid, or mutation of an ombudsman organization and inbound marketing program, which leaves many to wonder as to who it really represents or how user-centric it can be, or if it can be an ombudsman organization at all, or if that is even valuable or important to users or IBM. There has been little to date to even suggest that the IIUG is doing anything for the user, but more for the IIUG politicians, and special interests that control it. I say all this to make the point that the IIUG and the CAC are two different kinds of animals. The CAC may prove to be more beneficial to the end-user, especially since IBM won't really need the IIUG for inbound marketing if they really do it right. It opens the door for a lot of fresh input to IBM. It might also allow the IIUG to reorganize into a **real** ombudsman organization, and really represent users, something I think a lot of people expect from the IIUG, but have not seen much of for most of the lifetime of the IIUG. -DE-

Wow ... Why can't the announcement of the CAC for Informix be what it was intended? ....good news for the Informix community. It has now been twisted and changed into a completely different meaning than was intended. 1. I simply posted that we are forming a Customer Advisory Council for Informix - for more input from customers on the future development of Informix products. I expected some "woo hoo's" from the Informix crowd. 2. I also made note that IBM has had a CAC for DB2 for many years, and it's very active. There is also the IDUG (for DB2) which is very active too - they don't compete with each other. They "compliment each other." Why can't the Informix folks see this as an indicator that IBM would spend the money to fund and build a CAC for Informix as a good thing? 3. I never mentioned that IIUG at all in my post - and didn't need to, since this CAC is not related to, does not compete with, nor does it alter the goals and job of the IIUG. 4. No - it is not "inbound marketing" - whatever that means. It is a chance for IBM to get more detailed input of technology requirements, feedback on current releases, and start a positive dialogue about the future of Informix. I really am starting to wonder if my continued mission of furthering the Informix cause and "recapturing the Informix family" will ever stick on CDI. I have posted "good news" many times here, and man, does it get morphed into all kinds of things! Those of you that know me well know that I always speak directly and you can take my message at face value - with no hidden agenda or veiled message. As I've always said - there are many things we continue to work on to put Informix where it belongs with respect to clients and positioning within IBM. I continue to report positive information - of which I have ALOT. I'm not denying that there is still work to do. But I am very frustrated that we don't acknowledge "great news" when it is made known on CDI. Simply put - why do we have to twist "great news" into negative sentiment? I continue to travel nearly 100% of the time to Informix-only customers. My peers are currently overseas doing internal IBM training on, yes, Informix, to the SE and technical folks. the Informix team at IBM are very, very busy. Maybe some of you don't know me well, but I joined Informix in 1995, and have been focused on IDS and XPS...period. Exclusively. I intended to retire at Informix. Instead, now I intend to retire working on Informix products. So again - I'm like a little kid that gets all all excited about stuff like the forming of the CAC for Informix. I know there are others that share that enthusiasm. Would love to hear from them. Anyone wanna join me on this effort to positively influence the future of Informix? And I don't mean "think positive thoughts and all will be fine" - I mean recognize and move on the areas that need improvement, as we have been doing, but also acknowledge the positive steps that are being taken. This is the only way we will know if what we are doing is working. Thanks - Mark Scranton

I'll jump on your band wagon Mark. I'm getting quite tired of all the "IBM hates IDS" speak too. I'm glad to hear the good news when you have it. I'm also getting tired of deleting the 4000th post about how IBM is giving IDS the shaft. There are a few apples who seem to be spoiling the CDI, they need to find another hobby. DL Redden Visit my wifes web site www.lishalynn.com for all of your makeup and skin care needs. ----- Original Message ---- From: "mark.scranton@gmail.com" <mark.scranton@gmail.com> To: informix-list@iiug.org Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 1:01:57 PM Subject: Re: Announcing: The IBM Customer Advisory Council for Informix Wow ... Why can't the announcement of the CAC for Informix be what it was intended? ....good news for the Informix community. It has now been twisted and changed into a completely different meaning than was intended. 1. I simply posted that we are forming a Customer Advisory Council for Informix - for more input from customers on the future development of Informix products. I expected some "woo hoo's" from the Informix crowd. 2. I also made note that IBM has had a CAC for DB2 for many years, and it's very active. There is also the IDUG (for DB2) which is very active too - they don't compete with each other. They "compliment each other." Why can't the Informix folks see this as an indicator that IBM would spend the money to fund and build a CAC for Informix as a good thing? 3. I never mentioned that IIUG at all in my post - and didn't need to, since this CAC is not related to, does not compete with, nor does it alter the goals and job of the IIUG. 4. No - it is not "inbound marketing" - whatever that means. It is a chance for IBM to get more detailed input of technology requirements, feedback on current releases, and start a positive dialogue about the future of Informix. I really am starting to wonder if my continued mission of furthering the Informix cause and "recapturing the Informix family" will ever stick on CDI. I have posted "good news" many times here, and man, does it get morphed into all kinds of things! Those of you that know me well know that I always speak directly and you can take my message at face value - with no hidden agenda or veiled message. As I've always said - there are many things we continue to work on to put Informix where it belongs with respect to clients and positioning within IBM. I continue to report positive information - of which I have ALOT. I'm not denying that there is still work to do. But I am very frustrated that we don't acknowledge "great news" when it is made known on CDI. Simply put - why do we have to twist "great news" into negative sentiment? I continue to travel nearly 100% of the time to Informix-only customers. My peers are currently overseas doing internal IBM training on, yes, Informix, to the SE and technical folks. the Informix team at IBM are very, very busy. Maybe some of you don't know me well, but I joined Informix in 1995, and have been focused on IDS and XPS...period. Exclusively. I intended to retire at Informix. Instead, now I intend to retire working on Informix products. So again - I'm like a little kid that gets all all excited about stuff like the forming of the CAC for Informix. I know there are others that share that enthusiasm. Would love to hear from them. Anyone wanna join me on this effort to positively influence the future of Informix? And I don't mean "think positive thoughts and all will be fine" - I mean recognize and move on the areas that need improvement, as we have been doing, but also acknowledge the positive steps that are being taken. This is the only way we will know if what we are doing is working. Thanks - Mark Scranton _______________________________________________ Informix-list mailing list Informix-list@iiug.org http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list