And another little tidbit.
Dug up this article I had found earlier.
January 10, 1997 1:30 PM ET
Users say Informix's DataBlades
make the cut
By Juan Carlos Perez
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but DataBlades
will never hurt me.
That's the word from users who have beta tested
Informix Software Inc.'s Universal Server or are using
its Illustra server.
Both object relational databases feature DataBlades,
software modules that plug into the database engine so
that it can handle non-relational data.
Rival Oracle Corp., still toiling over its own
much-delayed Oracle8 object relational database, has
warned users that plugging DataBlades into the engine
is dangerous. If a DataBlade contains faulty code, it will
crash the entire database system, according to Oracle.
But DataBlade doomsday predictions seem to be
falling on deaf ears among users. DataBlade or not,
they thoroughly test all application code, users said. If
Oracle wants to help, it should ship Oracle8, they
added.
"I'm skeptical about those claims that DataBlades are
dangerous," said Jeffrey Brewer, vice president of
technology at CitySearch Inc., in Pasadena, Calif., a
company that has been using the Illustra server since
last February and has been beta testing the Informix
Universal Server for two months.
The company, which uses Illustra with several
DataBlades to host multiple World Wide Web sites
with entertainment information, has experienced no
data corruption or system crashes.
Based on tests, the migration from Illustra to the
Universal Server will be smooth, Brewer said.
"We've been very impressed with the Universal Server
and the DataBlade concept," said Steve Clampett,
senior vice president at SABRE Decision
Technologies, in Dallas, which has been beta testing
the database for several months. "We're interested in
Oracle8, but Informix is further along. When Oracle8
comes out, we'll look at it."
"So far so good. We were surprised about how well it
installed, without a flaw and very quickly. We're quite
pleased with what we've seen," added Bruce Chovnick,
vice president of Internet consulting and services at GE
Information Services Inc., in Rockville, Md., which has
been beta testing the product since December. "We
wouldn't rule out Oracle8, but we have a business need
now, and that's why we moved forward with Informix."
The product also has made a good impression at GDE
Systems Inc., a Tracor Co., in San Diego, a beta site
since early December. The defense contractor has
been using the Illustra server since May 1995 and is
considering migrating to the Universal Server.
"We've been very happy with how stable the Universal
Server has been and with everything we've seen so
far," said Nancy Mlynek, the database lead for the
development of a large scale, near-real-time image
processing application.
Oracle officials maintain Illustra server users haven't
had DataBlade crashes because the server hasn't
been put to the test. But at GDE, it's been put through
the grinder.
"Illustra has worked well. We have used it for industrial
strength development. Our database schema has over
200 tables, and our active table sizes range in size
from 1,000 to 3 million records," Mlynek said.
Another site where DataBlades have been doing heavy
lifting is at the Seattle Times, an Oracle shop. The
newspaper has been using Illustra with several
DataBlades since December 1995 to host sections of
its Web site.
"The DataBlades haven't corrupted the database.
We've had no problem," said David Wagner, the
newspaper's publishing systems manager.
For last November's gubernatorial primaries and
general election, the Seattle Times Web site had a
page where users answered questions about key
issues, and the system calculated how their views
compared with each candidate. The Illustra server
received an average 250,000 hits per day on the last
week of the election, said Wagner.
When the newspaper went shopping for an object
relational database in late 1995, it looked at Oracle
first, but the Redwood Shores, Calif., database giant
had nothing to offer. Now the Seattle Times has been
sold on DataBlade technology and plans eventually to
migrate to it.
"We've heard Oracle's arguments, but we believe
software that has been adequately tested is safe.
That's been our experience," Wagner said. |
