From: donb@pdx.csd.mot.com (Don Bolton)
Newsgroups: comp.databases,comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: Informix vs. Oracle
Date: 31 Aug 92 20:07:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: pdxvme.1302
Reply-To: donb@pdx.csd.mot.com (Don Bolton)
Followup-To: comp.databases
Organization: Parallel Technology Solutions Inc

In article <1992Aug27.224948.22327@risky.ecs.umass.edu> mathews@bones.ecs.umass.edu (Mathew J Mathews) writes:
>Thanks for all the replies and postings.
>
>I have compiled a list of the comments mailed to me, if anyone is interested
>I can post it.  The replies were mostly in favor of Oracle.  Actually,
>he score is about --
>
>		Oracle:		A gazillion
                                ^^^^^^^^^^^
                                BUGS? Thats a conservitave estimate.

>		Informix:	1

Because Orifice is ported to a multitude of platforms and Informix is limited
to DOS/Unix there is a FAR wider business audience (along with the suit-n-tie
"image" marketing approach Orifice has used)

I have done extensive work in both RDBMS systems, and my opinion is that
Oracle is a great product for people that like to wear suits and ties,
draw flow charts, use buzzwords, have a *long* project developement cycle,
and maintain an extensive DP staff to meet the reporting needs.) if you 
need to actually get something *done* use Informix.

UNLESS Oracle has changed DRASTICLY in the past 6 months, its an overcomplex
menagerie of dis-associated products..

	Their forms package does NOT communicate to their report writing package
 	Their "procedural" SQL cannot be used for OUTPUT, only program variables
          or TABLE data.

	Outwardly, that "simple, ez to use, etc" forms package looks *slick*
          now try a *real* task with it and spend a lifetime debugging your
          triggers. And oh yeah you'll need a *seperate* set of screens to
          drive those reports. 

        Orifice controls a lot of things for the developer transparently which
          seems neat until you realize what its doing is absolutely bass-ack-
          wards to what you need to do. (conditional depending..)

        Orifice *does* have a *superb* set of extensions to their SQL 
          implementation, a lot of reporting can be run from straight sql
          scripts, but if you need something procedural in nature your
          hosed without doing a bunch of temp tables first and then doing
          reporting.

Informix, to the Oracle bigot, seems crude, but in reality is a far easier
environment in which to get *real* tasks done, can be written to do nearly
anything concievable (4gl) by anyone who has ever used any kind of a programming
language. Thats not to say one couldn't do a lot in Orifice too, but,,,, its
sold as an environment requiring *less* technical people and in reality thats
just not true.

When the layoff came from my last employer I resolved myself to find Informix
work and NOT Oracle, yet Oracle was what I first learned on and certainly 
offered more work oppurtunities.

These opinions are mine although I have found them to be shared by many deve-
lopers who have worked with both products. They do not nessicarily represent
the opinions of my company.


Don "Oracle. just say NO" Bolton
Newsgroups: comp.databases