RE: Washington Area Informix User Group meeting - July 26, 2005
Not a technical problem thread: it's a debate over the Washington Area Informix User Group agenda including DB2 (and other non-Informix) content. Critics argue an Informix-named group should focus on Informix and that DB2 sessions send the wrong signal about Informix's future; others counter that learning other engines is valuable for careers and that a comparison of DB2 vs Informix would be instructive. Complaints about DB2 (single-threading, bugs) and jabs at IIUG board conduct follow. The exchange ends without agreement or any resolution.
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Jean Georges Perrin said: > > I should stop from learning and discovering other tools and databases! I'd > like to know more about pureXML in DB2 for instance... That's NOT the point though. If you want to learn about performance tuning Oracle, why would you expect to find this at an _INFORMIX_ *USER* group meeting? So why do the various user communities continue peddling DB2 information at INFORMIX meetings? Is the favour returned at the Washington DB2 User Group? Do they have Informix sessions? I bet not. I'm afraid that this kind of thing really does send the wrong message out, and contradicts any good news about Informix enjoying any kind of resurgence. -- Bye now, Obnoxio "... no bill is required as no value was provided." -- Christine Normile
Obnoxio The Clown wrote: > Jean Georges Perrin said: >> I should stop from learning and discovering other tools and databases! I'd >> like to know more about pureXML in DB2 for instance... > > That's NOT the point though. If you want to learn about performance tuning > Oracle, why would you expect to find this at an _INFORMIX_ *USER* group > meeting? So why do the various user communities continue peddling DB2 > information at INFORMIX meetings? > > Is the favour returned at the Washington DB2 User Group? Do they have > Informix sessions? I bet not. > > I'm afraid that this kind of thing really does send the wrong message out, > and contradicts any good news about Informix enjoying any kind of > resurgence. > Informix is enjoying a resurgence? :-) I tend to agree that DB2 at an Informix meeting might send the wrong message, at least for people who might assert that a DB2 presence implies "replacement", but I also tend to agree that it's a good thing to learn about other engines. This is perhaps one of the most challenging things database people have to encounter, but in the final analysis it makes your expertise all the more valuable. For example, most of the job reqs for database-centric work show an interest in a candidate knowing more or knowing more about more than one database product. What might be instructive is to have the DB2 session show the differences between the two products and why knowing about DB2 is important to Informix people. I see postings that say the person hates DB2, or dislikes it, but have yet to hear WHY. I have yet to understand why DB2 is so "bad" compared to Informix, and if somebody were to present the differences that would be very helpful. It is also important to understand why IBM is or is not presenting Informix to customers, instead presenting DB2, and why or what is the motivation behind that.
Double Echo said: > I see postings that say the person hates DB2, or > dislikes > it, but have yet to hear WHY. Single-threading. No gadgets. Have hit some quite literally unbelievable bugs. Emphasis on compatibility with IBM standards and academic Ivory Tower mental masturbation rather than the real world. That's why *I* hate it. YMMV, obviously. -- Bye now, Obnoxio "... no bill is required as no value was provided." -- Christine Normile
Double Echo said: > but I also tend to agree that it's a good thing to learn about other > engines. I don't disagree, but if I'm going to an Informix User group, I want to learn about Informix. If I want to learn about Oracle, I'll go to an Oracle User group. -- Bye now, Obnoxio "... no bill is required as no value was provided." -- Christine Normile
And of course...one of the IIUG Board members (that's for INFORMIX, isn't it?) dilutes the point of the question, and argues around the simplicity of my observation....simply the the WAIUG IS an INFORMIX User Group. What part of that is confusing? The "INF", the "OR", or the "MIX"? No wonder the board is in so much trouble....they apparently have taken on the style of rebuttal of their president...muddy the issue with jibberish, long-winded paragraphs that have little to do with the issue at hand, and diversion to avoid the very explicit observation...that the NAME of the group has INFORMIX in the title. And therefore, why don't all efforts and energies go towards I-N-F-O-R-M-I-X? Oh - and I really liked the intelligent response from JGP...."shut up"..wow - haven't told someone to do that, uh, since high school? Again - an IIUG board member makes the IIUG president proud. Me. Obnoxio The Clown wrote: > Double Echo said: > > but I also tend to agree that it's a good thing to learn about other > > engines. > > I don't disagree, but if I'm going to an Informix User group, I want to > learn about Informix. If I want to learn about Oracle, I'll go to an > Oracle User group. > > -- > Bye now, > Obnoxio > > "... no bill is required as no value was provided." > -- Christine Normile
> Obnoxio The Clown wrote: > > Jean Georges Perrin said: > >> I should stop from learning and discovering other tools > and databases! I'd > >> like to know more about pureXML in DB2 for instance... > > > > That's NOT the point though. If you want to learn about > performance tuning > > Oracle, why would you expect to find this at an _INFORMIX_ > *USER* group > > meeting? So why do the various user communities continue > peddling DB2 > > information at INFORMIX meetings? > > > > Is the favour returned at the Washington DB2 User Group? Do > they have > > Informix sessions? I bet not. > > > > I'm afraid that this kind of thing really does send the > wrong message out, > > and contradicts any good news about Informix enjoying any kind of > > resurgence. > > > If, and I don't know this to be the case, the WAIUG members are asking their leadership for more articles/presentations on DB2 then I would be comfortable with the content. But if this is not being driven by the WAIUG membership the I would suspect a hidden agenda by the organisers Cheers Paul Paul Watson Tel: +44 1414161772 Mob: +44 7818003457 GO FURTHER with DB2 GET THERE FASTER with Informix. Attend the IDUG 2006 European Conference. Vienna, Austria. 2-6 October 2006 Visit http://www.iiug.org/conf for more information.