Re: VIEWS compared to Nodes as Windows into data

From: Christopher Browne <cbbrowne_at_acm.org>
Date: 4 May 2004 03:16:39 GMT
Message-ID: <c771um$f4mq$1_at_ID-125932.news.uni-berlin.de>


The world rejoiced as alfredo_at_ncs.es (Alfredo Novoa) wrote:
>>Competing with Microsoft, who is presumably interested in having SQL
>>Server be dominant on their deployments, is likely to go badly;
>
> I need to ridiculize SQL Server :)

That doesn't mean you can beat Microsoft on a platform that they control.

Gupta Software, who used to pretty blindly support M$ Windows as their only platform, is now in the process of retargeting their software to Linux. <http://www.guptaworldwide.com/>

In effect, they concluded that Linux was an easier target platform to do well on. In the Windows arena, they're fighting MS Access and .NET as the prime competition. On Linux, while there's plenty of more-credible competing DBMS server software, there's not nearly the population of tools competing with "Report Builder" and "Team Developer."

This does not guarantee that the strategy will forcibly be highly profitable to them, but I tend to think their chances are better on Linux than in fighting Microsoft directly...

>>if, in contrast, you provide something that is "inspiring" to
>>MONO/dotGnu folks, they might help publicize and debug thorny
>>issues...
>
> But I would like to make some money. I am not rich.

It's not obvious that this will necessarily get you rich, regardless of your strategy.

I would be reluctant to invest in Informix-specific solutions in view of the possibility of IBM ceasing to sell licenses on terms I would trust. Consider that the risk of buying custom software only available from a tiny vendor that could disappear tomorrow is a pretty substantial hazard, and that this sort of risk is NOT alleviated by company size.

I would think your best chances of profit would come from selling your services as an expert consultant as opposed to expecting windfalls from selling licenses. Think hard about your strategy...

-- 
"cbbrowne","_at_","acm.org"
http://cbbrowne.com/info/wp.html
Rules of  the Evil  Overlord #143.  "If  one of my  daughters actually
manages to win the hero and  openly defies me, I will congratulate her
on her  choice, declare a  national holiday to celebrate  the wedding,
and proclaim the  hero my heir. This will probably  be enough to break
up the relationship.  If not, at  least I am assured that no hero will
attack my  Legions of  Terror when  they are holding  a parade  in his
honor." <http://www.eviloverlord.com/>
Received on Tue May 04 2004 - 05:16:39 CEST

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