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IIUG Alert (Issue #22)
03 May 2002
Other Issues
Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Alert! It contains
time-sensitive material for the IBM Informix community.
Contents:
- Blue Tuesday Anniversary Webcast Played to Record Audience
- Hot, Hot, Hot... IIUG Musts
- Oracle's Sales Tactics Make Ugly News... Again!
- SAPMIX Now Hosted by IIUG
- IBM's Informix Today Newsletter Launches - Subscribe Here!
- New IBM Partner SIG
- Free Passes for May 8-9 at IBM DeveloperWorks Live! San Francisco, CA
- Get Certified at Over 4800 Prometric Testing Centers Worldwide
- Simplified Requirements for IBM Informix Certification
- Useful Links
- Closing and Credits
Blue Tuesday Anniversary Webcast Played to Record Audience
A record audience participated in the April 24th IIUG webcast that
commemorated the announcement of Informix's acquisition by IBM.
Fred Hubbard, IIUG President and Managing Director hosted Janet Perna,
IBM Data Management General Manager, and Don Top, IBM Data
Management Director of Engineering. Together, they put the past 12
months in perspective and turned the page towards the future of the
Informix community under IBM's leadership and IIUG's advocacy. An
updated product road map was unveiled, and more details were provided
regarding the incorporation of Informix database technology into DB2.
IBM and IIUG also announced a variety of freebies, including:
- The immediate and free availability of IDS 9.3 for Win2K and Linux.
- The imminent and free availability of SE Personal Edition 7.25, and Four
Js BDL.
- An evaluation copy of IBM Office Connect 3.0 before end of May.
- The anniversary survey, posted at
http://www.iiug.org/cgi-bin/fglcl.cgi?anniversary
- The IIUG Fish'n Game, which you can play at www.IIUG.org.
A total of 36 questions were submitted for the Q&A session. Due to time
constraints, only a few were answered live. However, answers to all will be
posted on the replay site in the next few days.
To replay this important webcast, instructions have been posted at
www.IIUG.org.
To submit your feedback on this web cast, please write to fred@iiug.org.
Hot, Hot, Hot... IIUG Musts
Folks, your IIUG Board continues working hard to bring you more
membership benefits. However, unless you are an IIUG member with a
current and complete profile, you will not be able to access the
"Downloads" tab in the "Member Area".
Don't miss this immediate opportunity to obtain IDS 9.3 for Win2K or Linux
for free. And keep coming back! More free software is forthcoming.
Please note that all software downloads will be supported only via CDI
and/or the IIUG SIG lists.
Also available now at the IIUG site...
- Our Blue Tuesday Anniversary survey. Please respond to it and help the
Informix community worldwide affect IBM's decisions regarding our
favorite products and services. You can find it at www.IIUG.org
- The IIUG/IBM Fish'n Game, because life isn't all work. Go Fish'n in
beautiful Alaska or breath-taking Arizona and have fun catching
surprising underwater creatures, including the very damaging Larry and
Bill octopi. The top 20 scores are revealed at the end of each game. To
play, visit www.IIUG.org
Oracle's Sales Tactics Make Ugly News... Again!
In August 2001, the State of California Department of Information
Technology (DOIT) signed a to million contract with Oracle to
provide 270,000 Oracle licenses to the State over six years. In several
recent issues, the San Jose Mercury News and The Sacramento Bee have
brought to light what could be improprieties related to the acquisition
process, among them Oracle's overstated claims of cost advantages and no
database competition. Excerpts follow:
"State Auditor Elaine Howle, calling this audit one of the three or four
gravest reviews she has been involved in during her 18 years at the Bureau
of State Audits, said the flawed analysis of the contract may have
overstated its potential savings by more than million." -- San Jose
Mercury News, April 16, 2002.
The same article also says: "The auditor concluded that state officials
appear to have been hoodwinked by the high-pressure sales tactics of
Logicon and Oracle."
The Sacramento Bee sums up Oracle/Logicon (involved consultants and
Oracle resellers) behavior: "Assuming the state's buyers were trying to do
the right thing, they were duped like rookies... The salesmen made a too- slick pitch, used bad numbers to inflate the potential savings, offered
confusing terms on a complicated transaction and rushed the state to sign
on the dotted line before it was too late."
For more information, please see the following articles:
- The San Jose Mercury News, April 16, 2002: "Oracle contract could cost
taxpayers millions, audit says"
- The San Jose Mercury News, April 16, 2002: "Audit: State's Oracle deal
was full of mistakes"
- The San Jose Mercury News, April 16, 2002: "Audit: State may lose
millions in Oracle deal"
- The San Jose Mercury News, April 17, 2002: "Justice Department to
probe California's Oracle deal"
- The Sacramento Bee, April 17, 2002: "Audit slams Oracle pact"
- The Sacramento Bee, April 18, 2002: "Daniel Weintraub: State software
deal looks like million blunder"
- The Sacramento Bee, April 19, 2002: "State chiefs testify in Oracle
debacle"
- The Sacramento Bee, April 23, 2002: "Technology agency's days are
numbered"
SAPMIX Now Hosted by IIUG
SAPMIX, the popular email list for SAP customers using Informix IDS is
now hosted by IIUG. Formerly sapmix@informix.com, the SAPMIX list had
lost its support as the Informix domain was transferred to IBM.
SAPMIXers are welcome and encouraged to join IIUG at no charge.
IIUG members may subscribe to the new list by visiting the "Member Area"
at www.IIUG.org, clicking on the "Subscriptions" tab and selecting
"SAPMIX" from the roster of supported SIGs.
IBM's Informix Today Newsletter Launches - Subscribe Here!
IBM Data Management is launching the first Informix Today Newsletter this
week. Don't miss the opportunity to get your copy. Sign up today at:
http://www-4.ibm.com/software/data/informix/informixtoday/
New IBM Partner SIG
Attention, Informix IBM Data Management Solutions Partners, an IIUG
Partners Special Interest Group (SIG) is being established with the
objective of creating an independent and unified front to share information,
collect feedback and advocate to IBM.
This IIUG SIG will have the support of IBM. Their immediate interest is to
educate the IIUG/IBM partner base by introducing the various tools
included in IBM's PartnerWorld and demonstrating their business benefits.
IBM will also provide early communication regarding interesting events so
that partners can take full advantage of opportunities presented.
To participate in this new IIUG SIG, please contact Sounia Nejad Chaney at
sounia@iiug.org. Sounia is an IIUG Board member and Partners SIG Chair.
A selection of helpful PartnerWorld links follows:
- PartnerWorld for Software Track Guide (pdf):
http://www-100.ibm.com/partnerworld/
- PartnerWorld for Developers Track Guide (pdf):
http://www.developer.ibm.com/welcome/guide2002/pdf/track_guide_2002.pdf
- Partner World for Software Home Page:
http://www-100.ibm.com/partnerworld/software/pwswpub1.nsf
- PartnerWorld for Developers Home Page:
http://www.developer.ibm.com/
- PartnerWorld for Developers Informix Resource Center:
http://www.developer.ibm.com/data/informindex.php
Free Passes for May 8-9 at IBM DeveloperWorks Live! San Francisco, CA
Free Exhibit Hall passes and significantly discounted full conference passes
for IIUG members have just been made available for May 8th and 9th at
IBM DeveloperWorks Live! The IBM Technical Developer Conference in San
Francisco, California's Moscone Center.
Keynote speakers include Steve Mills, Senior VP and Group Executive,
Robert LeBlanc, General Manager, Tivoli Software, Daniel Sabbah, VP, AIM Development, Al Zollar, General Manager, Lotus Software, Janet Perna, General Manager, Data Management, and more.
For more information and to register online, please go to:
http://www.ibm.com/events/ibmdeveloperworkslive/r/expwd1
Free Exhibit Hall Passes:
* For May 8 & 9 access to the exhibit hall only
* Does not include any technical sessions, meals, or special activities
* Use registration code EHUG for Exhibit Hall Pass
* Not available to IBM employees
Discounted Full Conference Pass:
* Almost 50% off regular price!
* Use code PW1C for registration
* 1 day pass: per person
Get Certified at Over 4800 Prometric Testing Centers Worldwide
Our friends at IBM Certification and Testing report that professional
certification candidates for IBM Informix now have the ability and
convenience to test at any Prometric Testing Center worldwide. With over
4,800 computer-based testing centers in more than 140 countries, you will
be certain to find one near you.
To locate a testing center in your neighborhood, visit:
http://www.2test.com
Simplified Requirements for IBM Informix Certification
The Database Fundamentals Exam is no longer required for IBM Certified
Solution Expert Paths on Informix products. This reduces the amount of
time and number of exams one must complete before receiving worldwide
recognition for your IBM certification. If you would like to assess your
fundamental knowledge on IBM Informix databases, visit
http://certify.torolab.ibm.com to take an assessment exam at no cost.
To view all IBM Informix certifications available, please visit:
http://www.ibm.com/certify/certs/ix_index.shtml
Useful Links
Closing and Credits
The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an organization designed
to enhance communications between IBM and its worldwide user
community. IIUG now approaches 14,000 members and enjoys the support
and commitment of IBM's Data Management division. Key programs
include local user groups and special interest groups, which we promote
and assist from launch through growth.
Sources: IIUG Board of Directors
Editors: David Smith and Fred Hubbard, IIUG Board of Directors
For comments, please send an email to ug@iiug.org.
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