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IIUG Insider (Issue #5)
July 12, 2002

Other Issues

Highlights: Board Nominations, Top 10 for IUC'02, Software Download Update, Referral Program Surging, New Webcast Corner and more ...

Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Insider! It contains timely and relevant information for the IBM Informix community. You are receiving it because you are an IIUG member or a local Informix user group leader.

---- NEWS FLASH ---- NEWS FLASH --- NEWS FLASH ---

For a limited time IBM is offering an ADDITIONAL $100 discount for IIUG members to the Informix User Conference from September 9 - 13, 2002 in Anaheim, CA (see conference details below) for a total of $250 off if they register before the close of July 29, 2002!!

In order to take advantage of this special discount, enroll via our Web site at: http://ibm.com/training/conf/us/dm

and follow these important steps:

1. Select the "Register" button. Then select either of "Informix User Conference 3 Day" or "Informix User Conference 4 1/2 Day"

2. Select "New Enrollment". Then select the Registration Type of "Customer" and click Continue.

3. Fill in the appropriate fields on the enrollment form.

4. Under the "Company Information" section, make sure to enter the "Promotion Code "DA3" You must enter this code to receive your $100 discount.

5. When complete, click Submit Registration at the bottom of the form. If you have any questions about this offer please call 1-800-IBM-TEACH (1-800-426-8322), and select option #2 for conferences.

If you have already registered, you will need to call 1-800-IBM-TEACH BY JULY 29, 2002 to get your $100 ADDITIONAL credit and refer to promotion code DA3.

Contents:

  1. Good Leaders Wanted!
  2. Paul's Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Informix User Conference (IUC)
  3. IUC Early Bird Discount Going, Going, Going
  4. Software Downloads at www.IIUG.org: Update
  5. IIUG Membership Referral Program Going Gang Busters
  6. IIUG Membership Grows Around the World
  7. New IIUG Webcasts Corner: Replay, Presentations, Q&A & More
  8. What's Your Opinion of IBM's Informix White Paper, Version 3?
  9. Useful Links

Good Leaders Wanted!

As pre-announced on our May 31st issue, the current IIUG Board will complete its term at the upcoming IIUG Annual General Meeting, to take place in Anaheim, California, in early September. At this point, the IIUG Nominating Committee, chaired by outgoing IIUG President Fred Hubbard, has kicked into gear seeking candidates to run for the 2003 IIUG Board.

If you have a passionate interest in Informix products, and the drive, vision, and commitment to lead and represent the most influential community of Informix users, please give your potential nomination serious thought.

Nominations will be entertained through the end of July and elections will take place during the month of August.

For additional info, visit: http://www.iiug.org/iiug/committee.html

If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague, please contact the IIUG Nominating Committee by writing to Nominating-Committee@IIUG.org.

Paul's Top 10 Reasons to Attend IUC'02

Here are Paul Mosser's, top ten reasons that you should consider attending the Informix User Conference, now part of the larger IBM Data Management Technical Conference, in Anaheim, California, USA, 9-13 September 2002:

10. You can go for the full 4.5-day enchilada, or save money with the 3-day taco.

9. A chance to check out some of the DB2, Business Intelligence and Content Management sessions in the parallel conference.

8. Free unlimited certification testing!

7. Maybe you'll see Donald Duck at one of the Birds of a Feather sessions?!?!?!

6. Watch IBM Data Management executives get grilled during the Meet the Executives session!

5. Find out what IIUG has been up to this past year at the IIUG Annual General Meeting.

4. Intensive, concentrated training, by certified trainers, in tutorials on Sunday, 8 September 2002.

3. Learn what in the world that developer was thinking when he/she developed that product you are struggling with, at the Meet the Developers night.

2. Pick from more than 100 Informix breakout sessions, 75% of them NEW!

1. Disneyland... Conference Party? C'mon!! Some definite possibilities here!!!

Caveat: Paul Mosser's views are not necessarily representative of the IIUG Board of Directors'. His preferences for Disney theme parks and Mexican delicacies are not fully endorsed by IIUG.

To register and for additional information, please visit http://www.ibm.com/services/learning/conf/us/index.php

And if you have not updated your profile since 2001, we encourage you to do it right away by visiting the IIUG Member Area at http://www.iiug.org/members Otherwise, you may not qualify for the IIUG discount.

IUC Early Bird Discount Going, Going, Going

Time is running out. Hotel rooms are going fast. And we are quickly approaching the July 29th deadline to save $150 with the early bird special, so register today to attend the Informix User Conference and the IBM Data Management Conference!

IBM has worked hard to offer unequaled depth and breadth of technical content on data management topics, with over 400 elective sessions, held in 4-1/2 information-packed days. You'll get the latest information on the hottest Informix, DB2 UDB, Business Intelligence, and U2 products and solutions that can help you become even more productive and competitive.

With three ways to register, IBM has designed this conference with your specific interests in mind. Don't forget about the early bird special! Enroll by July 29, 2002 and save $150 off the below conference fees:

- 4 1/2 day Informix User Conference - $1,845
- 3 day Informix User Conference - $1,395
- 4 1/2 day DB2 and Business Intelligence Conference - $1,845

Attention Government Employees! Please note that this conference is prior to the close of the fiscal year.

Software Downloads at www.IIUG.org: Update

If you think that you're the only one who has downloaded software from the IIUG site lately, think again. Since April 24th, the software downloads available from within the IIUG Member Area have hit new records:

Number of 9.3 Linux downloads 800
Number of 9.3 - Windows 2000 downloads 859
Number of SE Linux downloads 182
Number of SE - Windows 2000 downloads 269
Number of Office Connect downloads 247
Number of White Paper downloads 292
Number of Four Js downloads 200

To access the IIUG Member Area, please visit http://www.iiug.org/members While you're there, please ensure that your member profile is up to date.

IIUG Membership Referral Program Going Gang Busters

IIUG announced its first membership referral drive two weeks ago. Accordingly, we will be awarding one point to each current member for each referral who joins between then and 9 September 2002. Referral points can be redeemed for the IIUG gifts listed below.

To participate, you need to send an e-mail to your Informix friends whom are not IIUG members and ask them to simply enter your e-mail address in the Referred by IIUG Member field. Each time a new member joins, you will receive one point and a confirmation e-mail when they accept their membership.

After the program ends, we will notify you of the current member point count and you may select your gift. The gifts are NOT cumulative. For example, if you received 10 points, you could only select any ONE gift at the 5 or 10-point level. All IIUG gifts will be sent out by the end of October.

The following gifts will be awarded for the indicated points:

> 5 - IIUG Lapel Pin
> 10 - IIUG pen with retractable pen, pencil and palm stylus or IIUG retractable modem cord
> 20 - IIUG leather travel documents portfolio
> 30 - IIUG long sleeve Denim shirt
> 40 - any two of the above (must be different items)
> 50 - any three of the above (must be different items)

As of 10 July, the following members are leading the race:

- Gerd Kaluzinski, of Germany, is in the lead with 11 referrals
- Michael Clark, of the USA, follows with five
- Joe Zuniga, also of the USA, has four

In addition, over 40 members have referred friends and colleagues to IIUG. Great job! Keep it coming!!!

For additional details visit: http://www.iiug.org/referral/

IIUG Membership Grows Around the World

IIUG's membership numbers continued to grow significantly in June.

This being the year's mid-point, it is a good moment to take stock of our growth. Since January 1st, we have added 1,791 new fully qualified members to our roster. And for the month of June alone, 413!

Growth is broadly spread around the world. The following countries recorded notable membership increases since the end of May:

Australia 11%
Austria 27%
Belgium 14%
Czech Republic 25%
Estonia 50%
Germany 19%
Ghana 300%
Japan 23%
Malaysia 11%
Poland 20%
Republic of Korea 13%
South Africa 15%
Sri Lanka 166%
Switzerland 22%
Tanzania 150%
Turkey 22%
Yugoslavia 100%

The United States numbers were up 5% as well.

These increases show that our worldwide community remains engaged and committed to Informix technology and that their voice is getting stronger in shaping the present and the future of their favorite database software products.

New IIUG Webcasts Corner: Replay, Presentations, Q&A & More

We recently added a Webcast Corner page at http://www.iiug.org/news/webcasts.html It recaps IIUG-sponsored webcasts and provides access to replay events, download presentations and review the question and answer when it didn't fit in the live schedule.

You can also arrive to this section from our home page, http://www.IIUG.org under the News menu.

The most recent additions are the July 11th WebSphere/IDS webcast, and the June 18 Best Practices for Database Performance webcast. Also available are the Blue Tuesday Anniversary Webcast, with a recently posted Q&A digest.

What's Your Opinion of IBM's Informix White Paper, Version 3?

IBM issued the third iteration of its Informix white paper a couple of months ago. You can find it at http://www.iiug.org/link_24apr02_ibm.html and also download it from the IIUG member area at http://www.iiug.org/members Your IBM rep can also make it available to you upon request.

In this white paper IBM presents its vision for the Informix portfolio, in some cases for up to three releases ahead. This version number three is broader and deeper, not to mention longer. It also contains visual representations of each product roadmap.

Please tell us what you think about IBM's Informix white paper v3 by answering our single question survey at http://www.iiug.org/cgi-bin/fglcl.cgi?survey4

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: Fred Hubbard and David Smith, IIUG Board of Directors

For comments, please send an email to ug@iiug.org.