The Topics...

Find out about the IBM merger, Informix classic product strategies, and the Four J's 4GL GUI compiler (D-4GL). Four J's new compiler also now incorporates HTML and XML. If you are an Informix users, this is a meeting that you don't want to miss! Here is the meeting announcement:

The next MIUG meeting will be held at the offices of HP Corporation in Novi, on Tuesday, May 15. Come early and network -- the meeting will start EARLY at 3:00 PM; doors open at 2:30.

Because of the # of attendees for this meeting, we're requiring RSVP's by Friday May 11th for this meeting. Also this meeting features a special 1/2 price offer of $5.00, which includes food and drinks. Please RSVP to one of these two email addresses by May 11th:

ronf@informixhandbook.com or glenn@uniqsys.com

• Informix Classic and Flagship Products: A roadmap.
  IBM/Informix transition
  "Like Blue Jeans and Coca Cola, the Classics Never Go Out of Style (and neither does IBM)"
  
  

  by Meg Hilbert, Director of Product Management for Informix Software ... all the way from Menlo Park

  Meg Hilbert and and her team of Product Managers will provide a detailed update on the IBM merger as well as Product Roadmaps for the Classic Informix products like OnLine, SE, 4GL and others, as well as the product roadmaps for Foundation, IDS, XPS, and the many other database, tools and connectivity products. From the back office to the Internet, from the traditional tools to the modern tools, Informix Software and IBM are offering choices to be successful in all areas of the business.

• IBM's Perspective on the IBM/Informix Merger
  
  

  Mike McCarthy from IBM's Flint Michigan Office to present their perspective

  Mike has ties to IBM's DB2 community and thus has some insight into the merger that is important for all Informix customers to hear.

• E-Business by Four J's Software: Using Dynamic 4GL and Four J's for the Web
  
  

  To be presented by top member of their development staff from France.

  Four J's will be presenting its E-Business solution using the Four J's HTML client. This solution enables Informix-4GL developers to publish their application on the Web. Non-4GL developers will also appreciate Four J's solution that provides a live and direct link from the Web to the database. No Middleware is needed! 4GL is a very easy and Informix-friendly language that will also work with other databases (like IBM!). Protect your database investment while still using your legacy code.

  Four J's HTML client is part of Four J's Business Development Language, known as Dynamic 4GL by Informix users. At the end of the presentation, Four J's will also reveal some details about the next revision of its language. This new revision will integrate an XML architecture and will be one the first languages based on XML.

Links of Interest...

Here are some links that you might be interested in:

IIUG's Web Site:
http://www.iiug.org

Informix Handbook's Web Site:
http://www.informixhandbook.com

Informix's information page:
http://www.informix.com/informix/blue/index.html

IBM's information page:
http://www.ibm.com/news/2001/04/24.phtml

Conference call with Informix and IBM:
http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=IFMX&script=1100

Computerworld story:
http://computerworld.com/nlt/1%2C3590%2CNAV47_STO59922_NLTam%2C00.html

Letter To The International Informix User Group

Dear IIUG Member:

This morning at 7am Eastern Time, Informix and IBM jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire the assets of Informix Software, Informix Corporation's database business, in a cash transaction valued at $1.0 billion.

You can find full details of the transaction on our web site at www.informix.com , but I wanted to be sure that you, as a valued supporter of Informix, were aware of it as soon as possible.

We consider this to be an event of great significance for the software industry and the business community at large, and one that we expect to be of substantial benefit to our customers, partners and employees. The key points of the announcement that support this belief are as follows:

* IBM plans to continue selling, supporting, and updating the Informix database products once the acquisition is completed, which means that your current investment is protected

* IBM will integrate the Informix database business operations and personnel into the existing IBM Software data management division, which means that you will see no disruption in service and support

* IBM will maintain existing relationships business partners, which will result in additional business opportunities

* Through IBM's worldwide presence, Informix's innovative technology can now be enjoyed by many more users, which will result in a larger community

* Informix databases will be part of the extensive portfolio of IBM products, to the mutual benefit of both, which provides our customers a long term growth strategy

Ascential Software is not part of the transaction, and it will now become a strategic partner of IBM, who will jointly develop and market key Ascential products. This will give huge exposure to Ascential's superb portfolio, and will greatly accelerate the growth of their business. When the transaction closes (which we estimate to be in the third quarter, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals), Informix Corporation will be renamed Ascential Software, Inc.

Jim Foy and I will be talking to the IIUG Board of Directors at 3pm Pacific on Tuesday April 25, when we will be able to answer specific questions. You will all be receiving detailed communications on various topics over the coming weeks and months, including the future of the IIUG. Please be assured that until the transaction closes, we will be running our business as usual.

As always, thank you for being an Informix customer, thank you particularly for being a supporter through the IIUG, and please read the posted documents concerning the acquisition, so that you can fully appreciate its positive nature for all parties, including the IT industry at large.

Kind regards,

Brian Staff
VP Marketing
Informix Software
the database company

---

/etc...

As always, up-to-the-minute details of the meeting can be found at www.miug.com. Don't forget to subscribe to our E-Mail list, which provides meeting announcements and more; details can be found on our site. Bring your questions -- There will be plenty of Informix experts on hand to answer your most fleeting inquiries.

Directions...

...to Hewlett-Packard in Novi. From I-275, exit at 8 Mile Road west. Proceed west on 8 Mile approx. 1/4 mile to Orchard Hill Place (just past NBD). Turn right (North) on Orchard Hill Place for approx. 1/4 mile to HP, 39550 Orchard Hill Place, Novi, MI 48375 (248) 380-2100. Please park in front of building in visitor's parking.

The MIUG board would like to get as much input as possible about the IBM/Informix merger. I think that you'll agree that this is the most important thing that any of us has faced in many years as customers of Informix. You can provide feedback via one of these methods:

• Detailed survey, presented by IIUG:
  http://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/3431/IBM.htm
• Other survey and more information:
  http://www.informixhandbook.com
• More information:
  http://www.iiug.org

We also encourage you to send us a personal email with your concerns, questions, and comments on IBM's purchase of Informix. Unless you request otherwise, we will keep your name confidential. Please send it to one of the following addresses:

Ron Flannery ronf@informixhandbook.com

or

Glenn Jacobson glenn@uniqsys.com

Next Meeting:.
IBM Welcomes Informix users! NO ENTRY FEES!  The next MIUG meeting will be on MONDAY, September 10, in the IBM office on 9 Mile and Southfield Rd. We'll supply the updated Informix product roadmap and other critical information for Informix users--you'll find out that Informix is going to provide long-term support for all Informix users. Meet Brian Staff, Director of Marketing, IBM Informix Products. Meet local IBM technical and sales representatives as well as Jean-Georges Schwartz, President of 4J's. We'll also talk about version 9.30 of IDS and Foundation and provide a brief technical comparison of DB2 and IDS. Come early and network: Beat the traffic: the meeting will start at 4:00 p.m.; doors open at 3:30.

• IBM/Informix Transition and the Latest Product Roadmap, User Conference

  Presenters:	Brian Staff, Director of Marketing, IBM Informix Products	(1 hour)
  	Mike Koss, Sales Manager for Data Management group of IBM
  	Other local IBM staff

  The IBM merger is complete and Informix users want to know about the future of their products. IBM has shown a big commitment to the Informix products and its users, though many users still have apprehensions. Will my products be supported? Will I be forced to migrate to DB2? What about enhancements to IDS? These issues have been burning in the minds of just about every Informix user and IBM is aware of them. Brian Staff, Mike Koss, and others will provide details on the Informix product roadmap, which -- based on user input and further analysis by IBM -- has changed since the roadmap presented in May. Please come with your questions and find out about IBM's commitment to your products, including classics like OnLine, SE, 4GL, Foundation, IDS, XPS, and Informix's many other databases and tools. Also, find out about the IBM Informix Conference (www.thenextstep.net) and meet some of the local IBM staff, who can further assist you.

• Version 9.30 of Foundataion and IDS: enhancements and performance improvements

  Presenter:

  Ken Crum, local IBM Informix Systems Engineer

  (15 minutes)

  Via Informix's technical community and the IIUG's worldwide user community, Informix has collected a large number of feature requests for its flagship Foundation and IDS products, currently in version 9.2x. Ken Crum will provide slides and answer questions about all of the features in the upcoming releases 9.3 and "9.next".

• IDS and DB2: Really that different?

  Presenters:	Ron Flannery, President of One Point Solutions and the Michigan Informix User Group	(15 minutes)
  	Ken Crum, local IBM Informix Systems Engineer

  With the purchase of Informix by IBM, the Informix user community gained access to a plethora of new products through IBM. Besides the many database-related products in IBM's Data Management group, IBM offers DB2 UDB, a relational database that runs on everything from Unix to mainframes. IBM offers its users the choice of the Informix database products and DB2. In this brief technical presentation, discover the similarities and differences.

• 4JS Development Tools: The view from the founder

  Presenter:

  Jean-Georges Schwartz, President of Four J's Development Tools

  (15 minutes)

  4Js provides a viable alternative to Informix-4GL. Its products provide users with the ability to use existing or new 4GL code to create applications that run on Web, character, Windows, and other formats. The new product works closely with XML! Meet and network with the man who started it all, as he briefly discusses the products and answers questions.

Directions
IBM at 18000 West 9 Mile in Southfield (large building), 248-552-4089.

1. From 696: Take I-696 to Greenfield Road. Go south on Greenfield Road, proceed to 9 Mile Road. Turn right on 9 Mile Road (west) to IBM (on right side, approx. 1 mile).
2. From the Lodge: Take the Lodge (M-10) to 9 Mile Road. Go east on 9 Mile Road (look for the large building) and proceed to IBM (on the left after the overpasses).
3. More directions: www-1.ibm.com/services/continuity/recover1.nsf/centers/Michigan-Detroit-Site+directions

Last meeting: IBM, Informix, 4Js.
Thank you to everyone that attended our May 15 meeting! The meeting featured Informix and IBM, who discussed the upcoming transition of Informix to IBM. It also featured Four J's Software, who discussed their products. We look forward to seeing you at future meetings. Please watch this space for a meeting summary and the slides. Feel free to join our E-newsletter (see details below) for email updates.