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Home -> Community -> Usenet -> c.d.o.misc -> Informix coming to Linux, Dump Oracle NOW!
Are you having to hack the SCO distribution of Oracle to run on your Linux server? Forget that. Our pleas for a Linux port has fallen on deaf ears at Oracle. But hey, someone at Informix listened. GO Informix!!!
Read the following :
Important Information Regarding Informix On Linux
For: General Release
From: Tim Schaefer, IIUG Informix-on-Linux Committee Chair
Carlton Doe, Head of International Informix User Group Advocacy
What follows is an official statement from Informix. This message was prepared by Erin Kinikin, and Tony Velcich, both of Informix Software.
There will be additional information in the form of follow-up postings, so please do not jump to conclusions regarding information contained herein. Carlton and other committee members will be providing more information as they are able. Please read this message completely and thoroughly before responding.
Background
I talked to Carlton on Sunday, 16 November 1997, regarding the latest activity at Informix, and there are some extremely positive developments regarding porting the Informix software to Linux. Carlton received this message from Informix, and has passed it on to me for distribution.
Informix has released this statement, along with more information that will be shared with the committee, and eventually the general list. Not all the details are enclosed in this statement, more information will be coming out to the general list shortly.
What follows in the next few days will depend entirely on the Linux community. Informix has indicated they are ready to move forward with the port. The key to the success will rest with YOU, the subscribers to this mailing list, and the linux community interested in seeing a port of the best data base products available to Linux. Last week I mentioned that now is the time to come forward and state your intentions. There was gravity in that statement, it is now more important than ever.
Executive Summary:
o Informix have finished their own business case. A business case
developed by the committee will not be required from this point
forward.
o Informix is preparing a port proposal that will be released to
the public for a response. This will have pricing and product
information. As an interested subscriber, you will be asked to
respond to this proposal.
o Informix will be looking to the Linux community and the response
they get as the final indicator whether or not to port.
You are the key to this becoming a success. For those of you out there that have stayed with this from the beginning, this is probably the most important time to get involved.
I am supporting Carlton fully in this effort, as well as the good people of Informix, and our committee.
Stay tuned, instructions will be coming shortly,
Tim
===
Tim Schaefer
tschaefe_at_mindspring.com
http://www.inxutil.com
# # # -- Begin Message From Informix -- # #
The following document summarizes the current status of the Linux project at Informix.
Background:
Many individuals within the Informix user community have been asking for Informix to port their products to Linux. Because of the number of requests, Informix has been doing research in this area to better understand the requirements as well as the demand so that we could develop a business case, and justify funding a project to develop a Linux port.
Activity:
The following summarizes the activity that has taken place in this area:
PE also stated that older versions of OnLine and SE would be much
easier to port than the 7.x versions of ODS. This is mainly due
to the fact that the newer products rely much more on third-party
products which likely do not have a Linux port. Therefore, it
is likely that a Linux port of 7.x products will not include
INFORMIX-Enterprise Command Center (IECC), a graphical
administration utility, and the Informix Storage Manager (ISM), a
backup/restore utility used in conjunction with ON-Bar. Other
features that may not be available are still to be determined.
2. We developed a questionnaire to better determine customer
requirements. The questionnaire was submitted to the Linux
Advocacy Committee for distribution and summarization. To date,
information from only 12 questionnaires has been received back.
Based on the questionnaires returned, as well as other emails on
this subject, we've learned the following:
- The target customers for this product are small workgroups
(10-20 users on average).
- Small VARs have biggest interest in Linux port, but some end
users have also requested the product.
- Database sizes are mostly in the 1 to 5 GB range.
- Performance requirements vary, but should be comparable to a SCO
port.
- Products most requested are OnLine Workgroup Server (OWS),
ESQL/C, 4GL, and SE.
- Customers would prefer to have a 7.x version with feature
restrictions rather than OnLine 5.x.
- Porting to just one Linux version was acceptable to most
respondents (Caldera and RedHat were most requested).
- Customers are very price sensitive. Ports must be
comparably priced to Workgroup databases.
- Support requirements varied. Most felt email support was
sufficient, but some said 24x7 would ultimately be needed.
- Maintenance releases are not needed as often as for other
ports. One or two a year were felt to be sufficient.
Interim releases were felt to be not needed.
- Running Informix products developed for SCO in Linux
compatibility mode was not acceptable.
- From the 12 respondents, we still do not have a clear
picture of the sales estimates for this product.
3. We still need a business case in order to justify funding a Linux
port. In order to Add a Linux port to our list of projects
something else would have to drop off, or incremental resources
would need to be added. Having received only 12 completed
questionnaires does not help justify a business case. Where are
all the Linux users that have been so active in the email
discussions and C.D.I?
Our next plans are to put together a description of the proposed
Linux port (product, proposed price, support plans, maintenance
plans, etc.). This will be very similar to the above findings,
and will be passed on to the Linux advocacy group for
verification, and then on to a wider audience. Users should find
it easier to respond to this more specific proposal on whether
they would or would not purchase the proposed product.
Thank you for your patience. We really are making progress on this project. However, it is definitely not the only thing we are working on these days. I understand many of you are frustrated, and at times feel that Informix is not taking the Linux subject seriously. Let me assure you that we are listening and we are taking your requests seriously, but at the same time we can not drop any other projects without first having a clear justification.
Thanks again for your understanding and continued support, Informix Product Management
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