Re: reliability?

"Denham, Mark" <Mark.Denham@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:mailman.1072.1210253144.20610.informix-list@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
'm not sure that makes IDS unique....i've seen other vendors do this. 
Typically they all copy each other!

>> I thought IBM changed the way the s/w was licensed so that you didn't 
>> "buy" the product at all. Rather you pay maintenance...aka lease the
s/w. 
>> I also thought that under these terms if you stopped paying maintenance

>> you should stop using the s/w. It's been a long time since i've had to 
>> bother about such details.

Absolutely not.  You buy from IBM (or hopefully from an
Informix-specialist 
reseller!) a perpetual licence to use.  This has bundled within it a 
non-negotiable 12-months' maintenance, which entitles you to sup****t and
any 
subsequent releases, bug fixes or patches.

Once that 12-month period expires you may optionally renew the maintenance

to retain the entitlement to sup****t and to product updates.  If you let 
that lapse then need a new release you have to pay to have the maintenance

reinstated - this is charged at 3 times the maintenance cost.  If the 
reinstatement charge were not punitive, everyone would let manitenance
lapse 
and pay only when they had a problem.