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

Why not enjoy the best of both worlds; QueriX provides Informix 4GL Compatible compilers which can also access Oracle databases. You can use QueriX 4GL Compilers to have a unique 4gl code for both oracle and informix. They are also RUNTIME FREE which makes a lot of senesce. QueriX Compilers are available on AIX; HP; SUN; NT/WIN95; SCO; LINUX and the list is growing. Mehdi Afshar QueriX UK Ltd. url: http://www.querix.co.uk/ Tel: +(44)1703 23 23 45 Jack Parker wrote: } } At 07:48 PM 11/5/97 -0500, you wrote: } >Jack Parker wrote: } >>Plus grand soupir. } > } >I'm not sure anybody really cares what you had for lunch! ;-) } } You should, it was pretty good! Would you like some? Here, let me } uuencode it and send it along. Hmmm, just let me load up the right } datablade. ;-) } } >Well, I feel compelled to point out that AT&T and Bell Labs have } >never been the federal gov't or a university, and have not been a } >small business in a considerably long time. Unix has been in wide } >use there for considerably longer than 10 years. Remember that } >Unix was invented for telecom use. } } Hadn't forgotten, just considered them to be a huge monolithic } structure - not a competitive business until the breakup - you're } right I was wrong not to count them. } } > } >> If you look back to that era, what was THE database on Unix? I } >> seem } >>to remember reading the top Unix software packages list at that } >>time - Informix won it by a landslide, Oracle wasn't even } >>mentioned. } > } >Actually, Unify was THE Unix database at least until the mid 80s or } >so, at which time Informix started making serious inroads. By 1990 } >or so, Informix SE practically owned ATT/BL database business on } >the switch side (billing side was and in many cases still is } >mainframe territory). There were two } basic } >reasons for this: Unify's design placed practical limits on the } >size of } the database } >(not to mention requiring complete database rebuild for ANY schema } >change), and Informix SE was the only alternative (ok, C-ISAM as } >well, but if you weren't inclined to build your own SQL engine, } >then SE was it). } } Hadn't realized, yes I ran into them a couple of times, but always } considerd the big I to be the one. I don't recall the article I was } referring to (Unix world or the other one - this would have been } <think,think,think> about <morethinkmorethinkmorethink> 198 } <hmmmmmmmm> 9? mentioning them. } } > } >What really won most of the Unix market for Informix was not the } >engine, but rather 4gl. It was simply the best thing out there. } >Of course, we all } know the } >dangers of sitting on one's laurels ;-). } } Hmmmmm, ok. } } > } >[snip] } >>Now about all of these businesses which have now adopted Unix. } >>What did they used to use? } >> } >>Now why on earth would you think that this had no bearing on } >>market share? } > } >If you are suggesting that a large share of Oracle's Unix business } >is from } shops } >swicthing to Unix from mainframes et. al. and sticking with the } >database } vendor } >they have been using for so many years, they you are, as Jonathan } >might say, "spot on". } } Spot on in your analysis. However I'm not saying, by any means, } that this is the only or primary reason. } } A thousand shames on Informix for not moving to intercept that } >decision by marketing Informix so damn well that no manager making } >such a decision would ever consider NOT talking to Informix BEFORE } >making it. In almost 10 years at Informix I shudder to think about } >the deals lost } over the } >*impression* upper management (at potential customers) had of } >Informix vs. Oracle, even when they ceded the technical edge to } >Informix. And those were only the deals we got into. How many } >were there where we never even got the opportunity to offer an } >alternative? } > } >The biggest reason for the current market share distribution is 17 } >years } of ABYSMAL } >marketing by Informix. And there is STILL no signs of improvement. } What's up with } >that? } } I cannot comment on that as such, I'm not and have never been from } the sales side of anyone's house. What I saw over the past decade } coming from Oracle was a massive sales effort - aimed at everybody } and their uncle, which placed heavy emphasis on how good their } product was, despite evidence to the contrary. Hard sell jobs. } Huge commissions to sales people. Heavy emphasis on sales and } minimal emphasis on product or quality. } } At the same time what I saw from Informix was emphasis on developing } a good product and solving people's problems - NOT on selling it. } So if you wanted something good you went to Informix, if your } manager wasn't powerful enough to fend off the Big O salespeople you } went with Oracle. } } Somehow that left a pretty good taste in my mouth with regard to } Informix, at the same time I was worried that the company might not } be there tomorrow unless they started to sell. Enter Phil White. I } don't have the inside scoop on what went on back then, I only know } that I started to see a lot more jobs become available with Informix } written across them. I don't know if that should be ascribed to } Phil or not. Now we have Bob and I have a very good feeling about } that. I think we'll be here for a while - now speaking of being off } topic... } } What happened to your address dave? } } cheers } j. } } As always I do NOT speak for my employers in this group. } //////////////// } Jack Parker ////////// // } Informix ECS Burlington MA ////// / /// } 25 Burlington Mall Rd, Suite 400 ///// // //// } Burlington, Ma 01803 } //// // ///// } 617-238-1619 /// // ////// } jparker @ informix com // // /////// } _________________________________________________________ / // } //////// 'Outside of a dog a book is a man's best friend, } //////////////// inside of a dog it's too dark to read.' - } Groucho Marx } ____________________________________________________________________ } ________ echo } '[q]sa[ln0=aln256%Pln256/snlbx]sb3135071790101768542287578439snlbxq' } |dc Best Regards ------------------------------------------------------- Querix (UK)Ltd | Email:info@querix.co.uk 10 Bellevue Road | Voice:+44 (0) 1703 232345 Southampton SO15 2AY | Fax :+44 (0) 1703 399685 UK | URL :http://www.querix.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------