Re: No future for DB2

From: Larry <larry_at_nospam.net>
Date: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 18:14:29 -0400
Message-ID: <aV9Ke.25166$sf6.16572@fe08.lga>

You're "analogy" doesn't really work ... when was the last time you went shopping for a car where

• there are not enuf repair shops who can fix it at a reasonable cost
• there is always a fear that the manufacturer may discontinue the car or the company may go belly up?

Actually ... the auto industry is another perfect example if articulated properly ... as you ARE forming a more or less long-term agreement with the manufacturer.

So ... I go out and compare Nissan, Toyota, and Honda OR Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. I don't have the figures but I'm sure it's safe to say that in each of these categories, there is going to be a first, second, and third place in market share. Which one would you eliminate because

• their market share is very low
• there are not enuf repair shops who can fix it at a reasonable cost
• there is always a fear that the manufacturer may discontinue the car or the company may go belly up

For me, it's none of them. Exactly comparable to the relational dbms market.

Sorry ... you can keep coming back to challenge if you want. Go talk to Gartner or one of the big consulting firms and ask them if DB2 is a good investment as a rdmbs ... and whether they think IBM will be around for awhile to support it.

Larry

rkusenet wrote:
> "Larry" <larry_at_nospam.net> wrote in message
> news:SBTJe.19388$_R1.16432_at_fe11.lga...
>

>> I didn't say anything about the economic climate of any industry at 
>> all. They are actually very good examples.
>>
>> The point (as you seem to have completely missed it) is that when you 
>> purchase a product, you most often don't care that your buying from #1 
>> or #2 or #3 in the industry. And being #1 or #2 or #3 is usually good 
>> enough to maintain survival.
>>
>> When you make travel plans, you don't ask which carrier leads in 
>> market share and you don't care whether you are flying with #3 as 
>> opposed to #1. As long as there is a good safety record, it is low in 
>> cost, and it gets you there. If you rent a car, you don't care whether 
>> you are renting with the market leader. In fact, Avis has been "#2" 
>> for many years and has survived just fine. And I'd be willing to bet 
>> that outside of business use, you wouldn't rent with Hertz or Avis 
>> anyway ... you'd end up with a lower cost company like Alamo ... as 
>> long as the price is right. What position in the rental market do you 
>> think Alamo is? When was the last time you found out who the market 
>> share leader was before buying a coffeemaker?

>
>
> I am sorry such comparisons with software tools like RDBMS is meaningless.
> When you buy a air ticket, you are not making long term commitment to the
> airline. The commitment is only for *that* travel. So one can ignore
> market
> share of airlines etc.
>
> Buying a software tool is lot more complicated. The software vendor is in
> some ways your partner in business. Things like financial viability, market
> share has some bearing in decision making process.
>
> Here is an example which should be similar to buying a RDBMS tool: If you
> are purchasing a car, will you go for a company
> * whose market share is very low
> * there are not enuf repair shops who can fix it at a reasonable cost
> * there is always a fear that the manufacturer may discontinue the car
> or the company may go belly up.
>
>
Received on Tue Aug 09 2005 - 17:14:29 CDT