The 6 Informix questions and interview with Bruce Weed
Here are the questions I've heard hundreds of times since IBM bought Informix in July of 2001:
"Is IBM discontinuing Informix?"
"Is IBM is going to force Informix users to migrate to DB2?"
"Will Informix be around in 5 years? Do I need to move to another database now?"
"DB2 is a mainframe-only database, isn't it?"
"Why doesn't IBM market Informix?"
"What has IBM done for me - the Informix user - lately?"
They are indeed valid concerns - the kind of questions for which CIOs and CEOs need clear, concise answers. In this article, which includes an interview with Bruce Weed, Program Director for Informix Marketing, I'll give you the answers.
Opinions or Facts?
My involvement with the International Informix Users Group (http://www.iiug.org) since 1997 has kept me keenly tuned in to both the user and the company side of the Informix product picture. In addition, one of the two major areas of focus for my company is the sale and support of Informix products so I am very much committed and invested in its future. While some have called me an eternal optimist I do need to make very important decisions about the future; this article is based on everything I know right now.
I also believe I can back everything up with empirical evidence: The opinions I express here are based on hundreds of discussions with IBM and users as well as a review of current product roadmaps and releases. I constantly monitor the future of Informix products and I believe everything here is accurate at this point in time.
But, I haven't spoken to everyone or heard everything and I'd love to hear what you think! I'm not as connected with the users overseas and would like to hear those experiences as well. To share your experiences, please contact me at ron@iiug.org; I'll publish a summary of feedback in next month's IIUG Insider.
Is IBM discontinuing Informix?