Re: informix market share

From: RollForward Wizard <rollforward_at_rollforward.com>
Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 23:10:22 -0500
Message-ID: <jqvif.11124$iX.962@fe58.usenetserver.com>

rkusenet wrote:
> "RollForward Wizard" <rollforward_at_rollforward.com> wrote in message
> news:7wtif.17164$c06.13325_at_fe04.usenetserver.com...

>> Bob Jones wrote:
>>> "xiaoxin" <lixiaoxinwb_at_gmail.com> wrote in message 
>>> news:1133132461.988551.14130_at_z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>>>>> The market share for Informix was about 5% in 2004, down 1% from 2003.
>>>> Any links to support your figure?
>>>>
>>> http://www.gartner.com/press_releases/asset_127553_11.html
>> Well that just about says it all.  Great link.

>
> Yes a great link.
>
> I am wondering who are those customers who actually bought
> 110 million dollars worth of new license of Informix. Are they
> existing customers buying new license as their business grew
> or totally new customers.
>

Top of the table says "...Based on New License Sales" .

It's still only 1.4% of the market, and that means it's half of what it ever was. Almost a beginning market position. It would take a real killer ad campaign and a real marketing blitz at this point to get it even into a position worth mentioning. Not everyone can work for Walmart, Sears, or Home Depot, and give Informix a pat on the back as if it mattered.

> Also it is important to note that SQL Server grew by 18% despite
> not coming out with any new version. In fact in 2004 SS2000 was
> 4 yrs old. Tells a lot about it, right?
>

Ya. Marketing. Windows is THE battleground for DB2 and anyone else wanting to take the top spot. Interesting that if Informix people could actually articulate some of the competitive advantages of Informix over Oracle ( re: replication, clustering, HA, etc ) into the marketing message, that it might stand a chance of making a comeback. But IBM can make the same message with DB2, they hardly need Informix to say that or anything. All that new effort into a 1% market cannot possibly be sustained forever.

>> Two words describe Informix, "embedded" and "legacy".  One word is being
>> marketed by IBM, the rest is just pure market reality.  The only place
>> left to go after embedded is entombed.  Informix is living in a coma, and
>> the damn thing just never seems to die, somebody take out the feeding tube!
>>
>> Informix will eventually fade into obscurity.  Pity.  All that goodness,
>> all that greatness, all that hard work, all that 1.4% market share, down
>> the shitter.
>>

>
Received on Sun Nov 27 2005 - 22:10:22 CST