XPost: comp.databases.informix, comp.databases, comp.databases.ibm-db2   
   From: lsedels@us.ibm.com   
      
   You are aware that ISVs like Siebel and Peoplesoft develop on DB2 as their   
   reference platform?   
      
   Larry   
      
   Obnoxio The Clown wrote:   
      
   > DBA wrote:   
   >   
   > > You can't compare choosing IBM vs. choosing Informix. IBM is not likely to   
   > > go out of business or be taken over by another company. The market share   
   > > #'s are much closer than you indicate.   
   >   
   > Not in the UK they're not.   
   >   
   > However, I would like to point out that a lot of people *did* choose   
   > Informix over DB2, and they typically did this for several reasons:   
   >   
   > 1. They preferred the technology.   
   > 2. They preferred dealing with a company where they were considered   
   > important, rather than a company where customers and their wants get in the   
   > way of a process.   
   > 3. They bought into a vision that the database was a differentiating product   
   > and not a commodity.   
   > 4. Etc.   
   >   
   > They did all this despite the fact that Informix's market share had eroded   
   > over the years.   
   >   
   > The car analogy doesn't really work in this case, because there are other   
   > factors that influence a car purchase. I, for example, drive a very large   
   > BMW because I have a very small willy. Market share played no part in my   
   > decision, only the desire for a large, throbbing, thrusting ... car. Ahem.   
   > No database vendor markets to that sector of the market, AFAIK. (Although I   
   > haven't been playing close attention to Oracle's marketing lately, to be   
   > fair, they have probably got this base covered too.)   
   >   
   > However, market share *is* important for ISVs and third party developers --   
   > they are reluctant to develop on and support a platform that doesn't give   
   > them broad exposure to the market. Conversely, this affects your decision   
   > because it means that you have access to more applications and resources   
   > with a product that owns a bigger market share. (This argument falls down   
   > if you have a niche requirement that can only be satisfied by one product   
   > of course! :o)   
   >   
   > Informix was hugely popular in the ISV space despite a less than massive   
   > market share, because they made it easy to do business with them, something   
   > I've found can only be said about IBM with your fingers crossed behind your   
   > back.   
   >   
   > --   
   > "C'est pas parce qu'on n'a rien à dire qu'il faut fermer sa gueule"   
   > - Coluche   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)