Oracle Express

[Database Administrator]

Oracle Express

Due to licensing problems we have been instructed by our management to
convert some of our standalone applications that is currently running
Informix 9.x (on Windows XP) to Oracle Express.

If we conform to a few rules/limitations like: 4Gig database limit; 1Gig
RAM; Only 1 CPU; single database a computer, etc. We don't need to buy
any licensing fees.

A colleague has told me that he is sure that Informix have a "similar"
type of product. Can someone please clarify for me?



Kind Regards

David Reed

[Database Administrator]

>> "David Reed" wrote in message
>> news:mailman.306.1226312980.874.informix-list@iiug.org...
Oracle Express
Due to licensing problems we have been instructed by our management to
convert some of our standalone applications that is currently running
Informix 9.x (on Windows XP) to Oracle Express.
If we conform to a few rules/limitations like: 4Gig database limit; 1Gig
RAM; Only 1 CPU; single database a computer, etc. We don't need to buy any
licensing fees.
>> A colleague has told me that he is sure that Informix have a "similar"
>> type of product. Can someone please clarify for me?

There is an IDS Express Edition, minumum 2 cpus (probably 4 cores actually),
4g RAM, available only on Linux or Windows, and I think only in IDS 10 or
11, that's less expensive that Workgroup or Enterprise, but not free.

Read about it here:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/...ids-ed-choice/

List it's about £3,500 for a dual-core cpu server, or you licence per
registered user (minumum 5) at £120 each.

You're in S Africa I think? I can do you a deal if you're interested, I'm
sure.

rgds
Neil

[Database Administrator]

Hi Neil
Thanks, yes we are in South Africa.
Does this mean that my cheapest buy would be (£120x5) £600 per computer that I use. I always have only 2 users that is logon to the system (1 is Informix, the other is the actual user), my problem is that I make on average about 7 different connections to the database, and now I must buy 10user licence for each computer?
Regards
David


-----Original Message-----
From: informix-list-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:informix-list-bounces@iiug.org] On Behalf Of Neil Truby
Sent: 10 November 2008 12:49 PM
To: informix-list@iiug.org
Subject: Re: Oracle Express

>> "David Reed" wrote in message
>> news:mailman.306.1226312980.874.informix-list@iiug.org...
Oracle Express
Due to licensing problems we have been instructed by our management to
convert some of our standalone applications that is currently running
Informix 9.x (on Windows XP) to Oracle Express.
If we conform to a few rules/limitations like: 4Gig database limit; 1Gig
RAM; Only 1 CPU; single database a computer, etc. We don't need to buy any
licensing fees.
>> A colleague has told me that he is sure that Informix have a "similar"
>> type of product. Can someone please clarify for me?

There is an IDS Express Edition, minumum 2 cpus (probably 4 cores actually),
4g RAM, available only on Linux or Windows, and I think only in IDS 10 or
11, that's less expensive that Workgroup or Enterprise, but not free.

Read about it here:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/...ids-ed-choice/

List it's about £3,500 for a dual-core cpu server, or you licence per
registered user (minumum 5) at £120 each.

You're in S Africa I think? I can do you a deal if you're interested, I'm
sure.

rgds
Neil




_______________________________________________
Informix-list mailing list
Informix-list@iiug.org
http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list

[Database Administrator]

It's Authorised User rather than the more common Concurrent Session model,
so you'd need to buy 5 of those.



"David Reed" wrote in message
news:mailman.307.1226317748.874.informix-list@iiug.org...
Hi Neil
Thanks, yes we are in South Africa.
Does this mean that my cheapest buy would be (£120x5) £600 per computer that
I use. I always have only 2 users that is logon to the system (1 is
Informix, the other is the actual user), my problem is that I make on
average about 7 different connections to the database, and now I must buy
10user licence for each computer?
Regards
David


-----Original Message-----
From: informix-list-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:informix-list-bounces@iiug.org]
On Behalf Of Neil Truby
Sent: 10 November 2008 12:49 PM
To: informix-list@iiug.org
Subject: Re: Oracle Express

>> "David Reed" wrote in message
>> news:mailman.306.1226312980.874.informix-list@iiug.org...
Oracle Express
Due to licensing problems we have been instructed by our management to
convert some of our standalone applications that is currently running
Informix 9.x (on Windows XP) to Oracle Express.
If we conform to a few rules/limitations like: 4Gig database limit; 1Gig
RAM; Only 1 CPU; single database a computer, etc. We don't need to buy any
licensing fees.
>> A colleague has told me that he is sure that Informix have a "similar"
>> type of product. Can someone please clarify for me?

There is an IDS Express Edition, minumum 2 cpus (probably 4 cores actually),
4g RAM, available only on Linux or Windows, and I think only in IDS 10 or
11, that's less expensive that Workgroup or Enterprise, but not free.

Read about it here:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/...ids-ed-choice/

List it's about £3,500 for a dual-core cpu server, or you licence per
registered user (minumum 5) at £120 each.

You're in S Africa I think? I can do you a deal if you're interested, I'm
sure.

rgds
Neil




_______________________________________________
Informix-list mailing list
Informix-list@iiug.org
http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list

[Database Administrator]

David Reed wrote:
> Oracle Express
>
> Due to licensing problems we have been instructed by our management to
> convert some of our standalone applications that is currently running
> Informix 9.x (on Windows XP) to Oracle Express.
>
> If we conform to a few rules/limitations like: 4Gig database limit; 1Gig
> RAM; Only 1 CPU; single database a computer, etc. We don’t need to buy
> any licensing fees.

You may not have to pay licensing fees but you will have to pay someone
to do *and test* the conversion. Given the risks inherent in fixing
what isn't broken there would have to be a *lot* of testing.
So...invoke the standard operating procedure for such situations:

Produce a project plan which will cost about the same as sorting out the
licensing (comparative figures included), will mention the word "risk"
several times, will evaluate the possibility that you might have to pay
license fees (check Oracle's T&Cs carefully and estimate the probability
of going over the limits, e.g. > 4Gig database) and, ideally, take
resources away from the some senior manager's pet product. Under the
circumstances you will naturally need a sign-off for a project which
will save so little, eat up resources and involve undue risk, all to fix
what isn't broken.

--
Ian

Hotmail is for spammers. Real mail address is igoddard
at nildram co uk

[Database Administrator]

14informix@gmail.com wrote:

> BUT and MARK Townsend will correct me shortly, as will OTC. I am sure
> that with ORACLE (or IBM / MS, etc ) no matter what you use, when you
> do put it in a PRODUCTION ENV YOU HAVE TO PAY LICNSE FEES.
> Cheapest? MySQL?

Nope. Oracle Express can be deployed in production for free. As in no
license fees. However, there are/is
1) Product limitations (up to 4 Gb of data only, Windows/Linux only,
will use only one CPU on the machine)
2) No phone support - but there is an active community forum on OTN

[Database Administrator]

Mark Townsend wrote:
> 14informix@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> BUT and MARK Townsend will correct me shortly, as will OTC. I am sure
>> that with ORACLE (or IBM / MS, etc ) no matter what you use, when you
>> do put it in a PRODUCTION ENV YOU HAVE TO PAY LICNSE FEES.
>> Cheapest? MySQL?
>
> Nope. Oracle Express can be deployed in production for free. As in no
> license fees. However, there are/is
> 1) Product limitations (up to 4 Gb of data only, Windows/Linux only,
> will use only one CPU on the machine)
> 2) No phone support - but there is an active community forum on OTN

Do they have source? )

--
Cheers,
Obnoxio The Clown

http://obotheclown.blogspot.com

[Database Administrator]

On Nov 11, 2:26*pm, "da...@smooth1.co.uk" wrote:
> On 11 Nov, 19:14, Obnoxio The Clown wrote:
>
>
>
> > 14infor...@gmail.com wrote:
[SNIP]
> > > Once again.
> > > The person posting (ORIGINAL) is asking for direction NOT PERSONAL
> > > VENDETTA.
>
> > > Neil wants to make a deal and the rest is too happy to take Gumbo
> > > apart - for good reason perhaps
> > > Is there anyone that can help!? I doubt it. Not in this group without
> > > $USD ...
[SNIP]
> > It depends if you buy support. I believe that both Oracle and DB2 have
> > completely gratis ultra-low-end solutions. Perhaps, if the original
> > poster (and everyone else in this newsgroup) was to moan at IBM for
> > offering free DB2 but no free Informix in this space, something would
> > happen.
>
> > So, nothing's gonna happen. )
>
[SNIP]
>
> I'll go beat Jerry Keesee up about it at the IBM event this week...in
> the nicest way of course!

Sigh.

Ok, lets clean up some confusion.

First, it looks like the sock puppets get dumber as they morph.

The OP is in ZA as in SOUTH AFRICA. No $USD there, just the Rand. So
its no wonder that they want to control costs.

Second, there are no licensing costs or restrictions outside of those
imposed by BSD licensing, which are a moot point for the sake of this
discussion.
(The OP wanted this for an internal production environment.)

Note that there are companies like Greenplum ( http://www.greenplum.com/
) that sell a licensed and supported version of Postgres. Note:
Greenplum has done a lot of work on improving the base code. So much
that they're marketing their version as a shared nothing DW system
like XPS once was.... Of course you have to pay for their product.
However for the basic Postgres you don't need to use them or others.
Just download the source and build it from scratch.

This solution removes the license costs and any restrictions/
limitations that are imposed on a "freebie" version of a commercial
product.

Third save your breath about trying to get a stripped down version of
IDS. Its not going to happen and this is not necessarily a bad thing.
(You really need to sit down and think about this and it will all make
sense.)

Another option. Cloudscape/Derby/JavaDB. Yeah its java and it uses the
file system (cooked) for storage. But hey! There are people who have
20+GB databases built in production, so already you've outstripped the
limitations placed on the "free" version of Oracle. (4GB? bah!)

The larger point raised is that with anything, you have the cost of
conversion and the inherent risk(s) of using non-supported software.
It could be that employee costs are already sunk costs...

But hey! What do I know? Its not like I've looked at this issue
before... ;-)

-G

[Database Administrator]

On Nov 11, 2:26*pm, "da...@smooth1.co.uk" wrote:
> On 11 Nov, 19:14, Obnoxio The Clown wrote:
>
>
>
> > 14infor...@gmail.com wrote:
[SNIP]
> > > Once again.
> > > The person posting (ORIGINAL) is asking for direction NOT PERSONAL
> > > VENDETTA.
>
> > > Neil wants to make a deal and the rest is too happy to take Gumbo
> > > apart - for good reason perhaps
> > > Is there anyone that can help!? I doubt it. Not in this group without
> > > $USD ...
[SNIP]
> > It depends if you buy support. I believe that both Oracle and DB2 have
> > completely gratis ultra-low-end solutions. Perhaps, if the original
> > poster (and everyone else in this newsgroup) was to moan at IBM for
> > offering free DB2 but no free Informix in this space, something would
> > happen.
>
> > So, nothing's gonna happen. )
>
[SNIP]
>
> I'll go beat Jerry Keesee up about it at the IBM event this week...in
> the nicest way of course!

Sigh.

Ok, lets clean up some confusion.

First, it looks like the sock puppets get dumber as they morph.

The OP is in ZA as in SOUTH AFRICA. No $USD there, just the Rand. So
its no wonder that they want to control costs.

Second, there are no licensing costs or restrictions outside of those
imposed by BSD licensing, which are a moot point for the sake of this
discussion.
(The OP wanted this for an internal production environment.)

Note that there are companies like Greenplum ( http://www.greenplum.com/
) that sell a licensed and supported version of Postgres. Note:
Greenplum has done a lot of work on improving the base code. So much
that they're marketing their version as a shared nothing DW system
like XPS once was.... Of course you have to pay for their product.
However for the basic Postgres you don't need to use them or others.
Just download the source and build it from scratch.

This solution removes the license costs and any restrictions/
limitations that are imposed on a "freebie" version of a commercial
product.

Third save your breath about trying to get a stripped down version of
IDS. Its not going to happen and this is not necessarily a bad thing.
(You really need to sit down and think about this and it will all make
sense.)

Another option. Cloudscape/Derby/JavaDB. Yeah its java and it uses the
file system (cooked) for storage. But hey! There are people who have
20+GB databases built in production, so already you've outstripped the
limitations placed on the "free" version of Oracle. (4GB? bah!)

The larger point raised is that with anything, you have the cost of
conversion and the inherent risk(s) of using non-supported software.
It could be that employee costs are already sunk costs...

But hey! What do I know? Its not like I've looked at this issue
before... ;-)

-G

[Database Administrator]

Ian Michael Gumby wrote:
> LOL...
>
> Daniel,
>
> If you can use a stripped down version of Oracle or DB2, then you can
> use Postgress to handle the job.

and if you need more than a stripped down version then you can't.

Perhaps next you should advocate the return to 3x5 cards.

Duh!
--
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan@x.washington.edu (replace x with u to respond)