IBM has released a new certification test for Informix that is focused on Application Development:

• Informix 11.50 Application Developer

Working through the new IBM Redbook IBM Informix Developer's Handbook is probably a good preparation for the new certification test.

While I appreciate the new offering, they don't fix the basic problem: The lack of visibility and product awareness in the market for Informix !

Without that only developers from the existing Informix community will probably read the redbook and take the certification test. This is good but doesn't really help to grow the Informix installed base.

I see some good actions from IBM but they will go up in smoke as long as there is no thought-out serious marketing concept behind them. Take for example the Informix Timeseries Datablade. A very interesting technology that already demonstrated it's potential in real life installations. But a press release and some blog entries will not create the buzz that is needed to achieve the necessary market attention.

Hint to IBM: Look at what Oracle is doing with it's Exadata offering and you know how serious marketing looks like and how it creates the necessary market visibility for a technology.