I just received the latest edition of the IIUG Insider newsletter. It contains harsh criticism addressed at IBM:

• IIUG Insider August 2010 - Editorial

This proofs the fact that whole Informix community is not amused about IBM's treatment of Informix. For years now IBM promises improvements and failed miserable to deliver. All we have seen are lip services after lip services and NOTHING substantial. A letter to the Informix community once a year is NOT enough ! I could republish my blog entry about Prototypes and Marketing Strategies quarter by quarter and all that is said there would still be true.

IBM, you are on the best way to loose the faithfulness of the worldwide Informix community !

I'm not sure if IBM is aware of the consequences. As already said many times before: DB2 it NOT an alternative for Informix customers ! IBM will loose those customers to Oracle and Microsoft. And if you don't believe it IBM, just check your SAP migration numbers. How many of the Informix customers have migrated to DB2 and how many did you loose to Oracle and Microsoft ? I'm aware of those numbers and believe me they are a big kick in IBM's ass. Unbelievable how much money and opportunities have been thrown away here because IBM didn't talk seriously to SAP to re-support Informix.

Exactly the same will happen to the non-SAP Informix installations due to IBM's inability or unwillingness to market Informix seriously. But it will not only hurt IBM's Informix revenues. Customers that are moving to Oracle or Microsoft will also buy additional products from those vendors instead of the IBM product counterparts. I already see this trend in certain customer accounts. This will hurt IBM's software and probably hardware business as well.

Moving away from IBM is only a logical consequence that customers and probably business partners as well will take. Or would you buy products from a vendor that continuously delivers lip services ? Is such a vendor trustworthy to build a business relationship with ? I believe not.

IBM, stop the lip services now ! The Informix community is pissed off.

It is now time to deliver or to live with the consequences of your consecutive ignorance regarding a serious marketing of Informix.