Join IIUG
 for   
 

IIUG Alert (Issue #19)
March 22, 2002

Other Issues

Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Alert! It contains time-sensitive material for the IBM Informix community. You are receiving it because you are an IIUG member or a local Informix user group leader.

Contents:

  1. Informix Product Roadmap Update: IDS, Foundation, and Linux Webcast
  2. Feedback Requested on Alert Changes
  3. Register Now for the Informix User Conference, 9-13 September 2002!!
  4. Mac Horn Returns to the IIUG Board
  5. IBM Software Symposium 2002, 10-14 June 2002 -- Vienna, Austria
  6. Four J's BDS Technical Overview Webcast -- Back by Popular Demand
  7. Quick Survey: Got Enough Info on Informix?
  8. Informix Developer Zone Offers Grand Reward
  9. Pre-test for Certification on the Web
  10. Useful Links
  11. Closing and Credits

Informix Product Roadmap Update: IDS, Foundation, and Linux Webcast

Please join IIUG for a web cast 11 April 2002 that answers some of our most commonly asked questions about IBM Informix Dynamic Server, Foundation and the Linux strategy.

Steve Miller, Product Manager for IDS and Foundation, and Darren Hanson, Solutions Manager for Linux, will join IIUG Board member Ron Flannery. Together we will present product roadmaps and respond to your questions, concerns, and suggestions.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear and provide feedback. Please help us continue to shape the future of IBM Informix products!

Clink on this link for detailed instructions for attending the web cast:

http://www.iiug.org/resources/webcasts/webcast_11apr02.html

Feedback Requested on Alert Changes

Seeking to continuously improve service to the membership, the IIUG Enews Team would appreciate your feedback on several proposed changes including the publication schedule and name of the IIUG Alert. Please review them and reply directly to enews@iiug.org.

PROPOSALS:

Based on the similarity between the Alert and the Newsletter, some feedback from the user community, and new ideas we have generated, we would like to slightly repackage our E-publications. We feel that these concepts will bring a fresh point of view and a new style in our publications, increasing effectiveness and usability. Here is a summary of our proposed new ideas:

1. Change the name of the BI-weekly publication from IIUG Alert to IIUG Insider. This was proposed because "Alert" implies an urgent or must-read item that is not usually consistent with much of the content of the current BI-weekly publication. The IIUG Alert name would still be used only for emergency or extremely time-sensitive issues and would be prepared and published on an as needed basis.

2. Continue BI-weekly publication of the IIUG Insider throughout the year on a consistent and predictable basis.

3. Rather than presenting the entire text of each item, the Insider will provide a one-paragraph summary and link to full versions of longer articles (more than a paragraph or two), which will be posted in full on our IIUG Web site.

4. Suspend publication of the quarterly newsletter via e-mail, instead moving the content to regular issues of the IIUG Insider or published on-line at our web site. The reasoning for this proposal is to simplify the news publication creation process by using a single multipurpose publication on a BI-weekly basis throughout the year instead of switching back and forth between Newsletter and Alert format.

FEEDBACK REQUESTS:

We would greatly appreciate your feedback on the form, quality and quantity of information that we have been sending through e-mail and the changes we are currently proposing.

1. Do you think the e-mail news blasts should be less frequent (monthly) or continue on a BI-weekly basis?

2. Do you think that changing the regularly scheduled news publication's name to IIUG Insider and retaining the use of the IIUG Alert banner for single event publications of high criticality is a good idea?

3. Do you favor streamlining the quarterly Newsletter and the BI-weekly IIUG Insider to a single news publication format and rely on the IIUG Web site for content formerly published only in the quarterly Newsletter?

4. Please provide any other feedback and ideas on our E-publications.

Your insight and response to our proposals would be greatly appreciated. Please reply to enews@iiug.org so that all of our committee can benefit from your observations.

Register Now for the Informix User Conference, 9-13 September 2002!!

Registration is now open for the Informix User Conference in Anaheim, California, 9-13 September 2002.

For the latest conference information please go to:

http://www-3.ibm.com/services/learning/conf/us/index.php

Stay tuned to the April 5th IIUG Alert for conference highlights.

Mac Horn Returns to the IIUG Board

Mac Horn has returned to the IIUG Board of Directors to fill the space recently left by co-founder Malcolm Weallans. Mac accepted the Board invitation by saying: "I look forward to being able to help guide the IIUG in what I expect to be a very pivotal year for both IBM and the IIUG. I am sure as a team that we will be able to extend and expand the benefits that are available for users of Informix RDBMS products as well as increase the impact of the end users opinions into the executive management of IBM's database business."

Mac, welcome back to the Board! We look forward to working with you.

IBM Software Symposium 2002, 10-14 June 2002 -- Vienna, Austria

The beautiful city of Vienna, Austria will be the site of the IBM Software Symposium 2002. Click here for full details:

http://www-3.ibm.com/services/learning/conf/europe/sfw_symp/index.html

This conference will feature a variety of sessions focused on IBM Informix, including product road maps and a tutorial. It will also provide an opportunity to learn about the complete family of IBM software products that work along with Informix databases and tools.

As with the Anaheim conference in September, IIUG is working closely with IBM to ensure that the content of these sessions is technical in nature, and immediately valuable and meaningful for IBM Informix technical professionals.

IIUG will be present at the Symposium, and will sponsor several special events, including an Informix reception open to all Symposium attendees, and an Informix User Group Leadership Dinner, to be attended by IBM executives.

SPECIAL NOTICE: IIUG members will get a 10% discount off of the registration fee. Make sure that your IIUG membership profile is up-to-date, so that you can qualify for the discount. Check and/or update your profile here:

http://www.iiug.org/iiug/update_profile.html

See you in Vienna!

Four J's BDS Technical Overview Webcast -- Back by Popular Demand

Due to the positive response from the IIUG-sponsored Four J's Webcast on March 6th, IBM and the IIUG will be co-hosting a follow-up Webcast scheduled on April 3rd with more technically-focused information regarding ODI, front-end clients (e.g., Windows, HTML), and other features. Each attendee will receive a 90-day evaluation copy of the latest version of their Business Development Suite for Linux!

Agenda includes:

- Installation Advice
- Open Database Interface (ODI)
- Configuration
- Deployment
- Samples
- Security
- Q&A

In order to catch some of our Asia-Pacific and west-coast US customers, the Webcast is planned for April 3, 2002 at both 9 AM and 4 PM Pacific time. Full registration information is on-line at:

https://www6.software.ibm.com/reg/4js/4js-r

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the technical difficulties in recording the March 6th Webcast, but we have been told by IBM that the April 3rd Webcast will definitely be recorded for later replay.

Watch for more in-depth technical 4J'S training sessions coming soon to your local user group!

Quick Survey: Got Enough Info on Informix?

Do you agree that IBM is providing you enough information regarding Informix strategy, products and services?"

a) Absolutely.
b) Somewhat.
c) Not really.

You can take this quick survey on-line at:


http://www.iiug.org/cgi-bin/fglcl.cgi?survey1

Look forward to the results of this survey to be published in our next IIUG Alert.

Informix Developer Zone Offers Grand Reward

Our IIUG news team received an invitation from the Informix Developer Zone (IDZ) to communicate a grand scheme to try to attract solid content to benefit the Informix user community. They want to pay up to $1000 for original articles.

Hi Everyone! We'd like to invite you to visit the new Informix Developer Zone (IDZ) at www.ibm.com/software/data/developer/informix. We are also inviting you to become paid authors for the IDZ!

We are looking for original content that is technical in nature and would appeal to developers. Here are some things we typically get: 'How to' articles that will help developers/DBAs use or evaluate data management products, especially Informix products. We love: Articles that describe integration of multiple products with lots of examples which include showing the output; Something that answers a lot of customer questions; DDL and DML available in script files that can be downloaded and run; Experiential articles - "here's how I solved this problem;" Best practices; Coding templates; Tutorials; or A "personal" column that discusses some aspect of technology that you are an expert on.

Remember, we pay up to $1000 for articles. If you have any questions, please email webreqs@us.ibm.com.

Thank you.
Lynn Felise
Editor - Informix Developer Zone

Pre-test for Certification on the Web

Are you looking to get certified but want to practice first? Perhaps you would like to do some self-inventory knowledge assessment to see if a training class is needed.

Plan time to try out the IBM Certification Exam Tool (ICE)! ICE is an on-line, free-of-charge, pre-assessment and sample test site designed to help you pass your certification exams. You can test your readiness for certification testing for IBM Informix products like IDS 7, IDS 9, Red Brick, and 4GL!

Go to http://certify.torolab.ibm.com/icetest.jsp and try out a test today!

For more information on IBM Informix certification, please visit:
http://www-1.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 has more than 13,000 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 Ron Flannery, IIUG Board of Directors

For comments, please send an email to UG@IIUG.org.