March 24, 2008
Disclaimer up front: This contains a rant, but it may be relevant to the performance of your organization or your databases. No children or animals were harmed in the writing of this blog. In a departure from my 21 prior posts, there are no formulas herein. I'm just going to vent about events in our industry. Feel free to skip to the next blog post or post a comment if you are so inclined.
DB2 is dead.
The mainframe was supposed to die a few years ago, but somehow it has survived as the mother of all data servers. Instead, DB2 has died. The IBM DB2 Technical Conference was the first symptom of this tragedy. It was replaced by the IBM Information on Demand (or IOD if you like acronyms) conference which brings together every IBM software technology on the planet. And with IBM on an acquisition shopping spree, soon IOD will need to be held at the Moscone center in San Francisco.
You've probably also noticed that DB2 Magazine is gone - Symptom #2 of DB2's death. Let us rejoice around IBM Database Magazine instead - I'm sure the few DB2 people that are left on the planet won't mind reading a less focused publication. After all, if you read enough articles about Informix, U2, and IMS, your resume will be enhanced and you'll be able to pass yet another series of certification exams.
Oh WAIT - Good NEWS - We still have the International DB2 Users Group, or "IDUG". After two years of inviting Informix people to this conference, this year Informix is out and IMS is in. The Informix people are having their own user group conference this year - like the good old days when DB2 had its own conferences. Well, no worries, the DB2 people at IDUG can make some new friends with IMS people. Given the hierarchical nature of IMS and DB2 9 XML, I'm hopeful we'll find something to talk about as we mingle at receptions. So, DB2 isn't dead yet - it's just on the endangered species list. When IDUG renames itself to the "International Database Users Group" and starts inviting Oracle and Oracle vendors, then we'll know the end is very near for our beloved DB2. Did you know that Smith Bucklin manages both the IDUG and IOUG conferences? And that IDUG costs $550 more than IOUG no matter whether you register early or late? How are we ever going to convert Oracle DBAs to IBM data servers with conference prices like this? Even with its higher price, IDUG is still a very valuable source of DB2 Education - you can learn from your peers and consultants - presenters from the "real world" provide invaluable insight (as opposed to teaching syntax at other conferences).
I've grown to admire Oracle. And I can't believe that I just typed that. My blood is blue, but it may be turning red, or is it just my face?
Oracle has great ads in airports and on TV. I can talk to anyone on an airplane or in a grocery store, and most know what Oracle is. When I try to talk about DB2, I see blank looks and sometimes drool. Then I explain that DB2 is "the Other database - not Oracle" made by IBM that is faster and less expensive, and the drooling stops. I am still waiting for the day when IBM produces some seriously aggressive and impressive marketing and advertising for DB2, but with its vast portfolio of data servers and add-on accessories I'm becoming increasingly doubtful this day will ever come.
So, yes, the eminent death of DB2 has me a bit upset. I'd like to be a DB2 evangelist for at least another 10 years and I'm hopeful I haven't hung the balance of my career on 8 track tapes. Meanwhile, I suppose I can be thankful that my company, DBI, now provides tools for Oracle in addition to DB2 LUW. I'm betting on both databases "to place".
The Shameless Marketing Moment
Did you see DBI's Press Release earlier today? It had distribution around the globe, and the number of web hits crashed our site (this is big news). Thanks. Love you all. We're turning the commercial software industry upside down. Read the press release then visit DBI's site for details.
And be sure to register for IDUG too! Please support IDUG while it is still the one safe place on the planet for large numbers of DB2 professionals to be seen in public.
Just for Fun
Are you following Net Neutrality? Do you have a high speed internet connection at home? Do you think what you do on your home computer is private? You need to read this PDF document submitted to the FCC on Net Neutrality. Hey, I'm just the messenger.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott Hayes
President & CEO, DBI
IBM GOLD Consultant
www.Database-Performance.info
www.Database-Auditing.info
Your Performance IS Our Business
Please Note: DBI has moved to a new web address!
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