IIUG Insider (Issue #52)
October 2004
Other Issues
Highlights: IIUG / IDUG Conference in Denver & More...
Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Insider! Designed for IIUG members and Informix user group leaders, this publication contains timely and relevant information for the IBM Informix community.
Contents:
- Editorial
- IIUG - Strategic Alliance with IDUG
- IIUG - Election time IIUG Board of 2005
- IIUG / IDUG Conference - Why would you go?
- IIUG / IDUG Conference - Unique exhibiting ops
- Breaking News - Is there a Problem with Informix?
- Breaking News - Wal-Mart relies on Informix
- Product News - Trade-ins from qualified competitor products to IDS 9
- DBA Stuff - New Free IDS Tutorial on Critical Errors & Hangs
- DBA Stuff - Get a free poster from Kazer!
- Developer Corner - EGL DeveloperWorks site live
- Developer Corner - EGL WebCast and Content Manager replays of webcast
- Useful Links
- Closing and Credits
Editorial
Small issue, following IIUG's major event and strategy change: the alliance with IDUG for the Conference in Denver.
Two new sections in the Insider: "Breaking News" and "DBA Stuff". Some DBAs really want to counter balance the "Developer Corner". Interesting!
And yes, we did it again. The board has re-elected Stuart Litel as President of IIUG. Now he needs to be re-elected a Director by you!
Thanks to James, Fred and all the others that provided very useful feedback on the Insider. We love to hear from our members and readers. So drop us a few words at enews@iiug.org.
I wish you an Xtremly pleasant reading.
Jean Georges Perrin
Editor
IIUG - Strategic Alliance with IDUG
On September 21st, the Board of IIUG has announced that IIUG will participate actively in the IDUG conference, in May 2005, in Denver (Colorado, USA).
"The International Informix Users Group's Board of Directors is pleased to announce that IIUG is working in conjunction with the International DB2 User Group (IDUG) to add a full slate of three tracks of over 50 technical sessions at the IDUG 2005 North America Conference. This is a major role in the conference, to be held May 22 - 26 in Denver, Colorado. This Informix content is in addition to the 180+ DB2 sessions offered by IDUG. This is NOT a merger of two users groups, but two great Users groups presenting one great conference.
The conference will still be known as IDUG 2005 North America. It will be held in conjunction with IIUG. The Informix technical sessions will be under the control of IIUG. There will be an exhibit hall with BOTH Informix and DB2 vendors. The keynote speaker will be of equal interest to BOTH communities and all other conference events, including parties, will be one common event. This is an opportunity for two great User groups to present ONE common conference with technical sessions of both communities. All attendees can attend any and all Informix and / or DB2 technical sessions, as this will be truly ONE big TECHNICAL conference, organized by Users for the best interest of BOTH user communities."
Read more at: http://www.iiug.org/conf.
IIUG - Election time IIUG Board of 2005
Please consider standing for election to the IIUG Board of 2005.
The 2004 IIUG Board is made up of users, partners and IBM employees from countries as diverse as the United States, France, Switzerland, Israel and the UK. The current IIUG Board will complete its term at the end of this calendar year and in preparation for the upcoming elections of the 2005 IIUG Board, an IIUG Nominating Committee, chaired by outgoing Board Member Neil Truby, has been established.
The committee is currently seeking candidates to run for the 2005 IIUG Board. If you have a passionate interest in Informix products, and the drive, vision, and commitment to lead and represent the world's most influential community of Informix users, please give your potential nomination serious thought.
The closing date for nominations is 10th November, and elections will take place shortly afterwards.
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 elections@iiug.org.
IIUG / IDUG Conference - Why would you go?
After the announcement, we have asked several Informix users what they thought about the IIUG / IDUG conference; here is what they told us:
Any piece of information that I pick up - no matter how large or small - that helps me do my job more efficiently or makes me better at what I do is, in my opinion, well worth the investment in time and cost. I can't think of a better way to gain exposure to so much knowledge and experience in such a short period of time than to attend a conference of this nature.
- June C. Hunt, IIUG Board Member
I am definitely planning on attending and looking forward to it! I think the content will be much MORE technical at the IDUG/IIUG conference and much LESS marketing oriented. There will be so much more for Informix Users all around.
- Cindy Lichtenauer, IIUG Board Member
I'm excited about the IDUG/IIUG conference because for the first time ever, the IIUG and its users have complete control over the content. We look forward to making it a conference that meets the needs of our users and will actively seek their feedback to tailor the conference to their needs.
- Ron Flannery, IIUG Board Member
IIUG / IDUG Conference - Unique exhibiting ops
You want to reach thousands of database users? You want to reach Informix users? Consider exhibiting at the IIUG / IDUG conference. For more information, contact president@iiug.org. IIUG has only 6 (six) Vendor sessions that maybe attributed by Informix vendors who also acquire booth space. Hurry....
Breaking News - Is there a Problem with Informix?
IIUG President's note: Although as President of the IIUG, I do agree with most of the points in the article, I am a little disappointed in the title of it. Informix is strong within the walls of IBM and the user community and it is here to stay and continues with strong research and development. All those that wish to continue to use Informix database products and new customers alike will continue to receive the continued support of IBM and we will be seeing IDS and the other products well into the next decade. The IIUG continues to grow at over 15% a year and IDS and the other Informix database products are continuing to grow within IBM. In short, this is a great time to be using Informix and I am extremely happy to be working with IBM. If at anytime you wish to contact me personally to discuss this, feel free to e-mail at: president@iiug.org.
Bloor Research says "IBM has a good problem" with Informix. To find out, read: http://www.it-analysis.com/article.php?articleid=12334.
Breaking News - Wal-Mart relies on Informix
Every human being should know about the distribution giant Wal-Mart, coming out of Bentonville to have "low price everyday".
"Wal-Mart's common IT foundation is textbook, but not often seen in the real world. Now Wal-Mart is engaged in bringing its online operations onto a common platform as well. An initiative dubbed Global.com that encompasses the retailer's online sites -- http://www.walmart.com, http://www.samsclub.com, http://www.asda.com, and http://www.walmartmexico.com.mx -- will move by 2005 from the disparate technology platforms on which they were developed onto a Java-based platform running on IBM's WebSphere and an Informix database. That way, "scalability is easier to maintain," says Matt Carey, VP of technology, who started as a programmer trainee writing code in CICS Cobol for Sam's Clubs merchandising systems."
Read more at: http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=47902662.
Product News - Trade-ins from qualified competitor products to IDS 9
IBM is proposing a trade-in program for owners of Oracle, Sybase, or Microsoft SQL Server.
More information at: http://www.iiug.org/news/newsitems/tradeins.html.
DBA Stuff - New Free IDS Tutorial on Critical Errors & Hangs
New Free IDS Tutorial: Database Engine Problem Determination: Critical Errors & Hangs
Just released, this is tutorial #7 in the IDS Problem Determination Mastery Series. The objective of this tutorial is to provide information on problem determination of critical errors and hangs in an IDS environment. The tutorial will provide you with guidelines for collecting appropriate information in the case of an engine crash, and will show how to use this data to isolate and/or reproduce the problem. Through examples, you will learn how to identify the source of a hang, collect useful diagnostic information and how to potentially alleviate a hung database.
To download this tutorial or the entire series, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/software/data/support/pdm/idstutorials.html
DBA Stuff - Get a free poster from Kazer!
Visit http://www.kazer.com/poster.html and get a free Informix Dynamic Server 9.4 Reference Poster from Kazer. It's all free, including postage. Rush while supplies last... (Offer valid only in the US).
Developer Corner - EGL DeveloperWorks site live
Discover the EGL DeveloperWorks web site at: http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/zones/studio/egldocs.html.
Developer Corner - EGL WebCast and Content Manager replays of webcast
Replays are now available at:
http://webevents.broadcast.com/ibm/websphere/091404.
Useful Links
In response to your input, we have created a new page on the IIUG web site containing all the links we used to include. Please find it at: http://www.iiug.org/quicklinks.html
Closing and Credits
The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an organization designed to enhance communications between its worldwide user community and IBM. IIUG's membership database now exceeds 25,000 entries 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.
