"Serge Rielau" <srielau@ca.ibm.com> wrote in message
news:4ohv3fFekvj2U1@individual.net...

> Also there is no reason to stay at the Hilton since it's just across the
> road from the subway and smack downtown.

There's a special downtown for smack? Normally we have to go into the
suburbs to get it.

> Careful with that truth claim. IDUG are handing out little flags to be put
> on the tags for those who like it. And I saw a cluster of at least 4
> Croatians together just a few hours ago.

DB2 (mainframe) folks, I just checked with the colleague who's there. I
refered just to Informixers previously.
Nevertheless, good advice from Clown. We'll try.

As this is an IIUG run event, who do people believe should "pay"?

This is an IDUG / IIUG run event

IIUG board of directors selected the presenters and the topics , not
IBM.

IBM has provided a host of speakers for Informix, many more than it has
provided for DB2.

Would IBM receive less critisism for this event if it did not provide
any support at all?

Davorin, you say there was 1 Informix "user" there from the whole
country.. There were about 4 Croatia flags around the conference. How
many DB2 LUW and DB2 z/OS clients are there in Croatia? Would 3 people
from that client base be a significantly higher proportion? Has this
same cost restricted the DB2 attendance at this event as well as the
Informix attendance?


Davorin Kremenjas wrote:
> Since your previous post was a reaction to mine, I feel I should comment
> some more...
>
> > Actually, if you actually read my post you would have noticed that I was
> > blasting people for the following:
> > 1. Moaning that they had to pay for education;
> > 2. Moaning that the IIUG never did anything in Europe and then moaning for
> > what they did do when they did it;
> > 3. Moaning that there was always something wrong with the education
> > offered by the IIUG and other local user groups yet not having the
> > gumption to get involved and contribute something themselves.
>
> I couldn't agree more. I saw an agenda, the speakers' names, I'm sure it
> will be a great conference, and finally one in Europe.
> Of course that such an education event should be paid for. Of course moaning
> serves no purpose at all.
>
> Now, here is the irony: Vienna is only a few hours drive from Croatia's
> capital, Zagreb, where the most of the Informix users in Croatia are.
> I personally know many people (DBA's mainly) who wanted to attend. The truth
> is that only one person (in the whole country) was able to go.
> One and only reason - the price.
> That's not moaning, that's dissapointment.
> To quote TBP, if the price was 500 Euros at least few more people would go,
> for the same net price.
> None of them go to conferences for drinks and food, they do that on weekend
> barbecues at home :-)
>
> Yes, finally one great IIUG conference in Europe, almost a walking distance
> away, and we still can't go...

> I don't think our croatian friend was objecting to having to pay. It's just
> that it's a lot of money. I don't know what Croatian salaries are like but
> I think they are probably a lot less than a DBA would get in UK.

Sorry maybe I wasn't as clear as I hoped.

I guess the price was set by IDUG and IIUG couldn't really say to the
Informix clients it is $500 if IDUG charged $2000. I believe IIUG
offered higher discounts for early bookers but that may be wrong.
Interesting to see that few people even took those discounts up.

Hence my question if it was as unaffordable for the DB2 clients and its
not just an IIUG problem

malcolm weallans said:
>
> Generally I think the IIUG must look at the issues of how much people can
> is going to dilute the attendance at the IDUG/IIUG event as it doesn't
> cost
> as much to fly to Anaheim and stay in a non-conference hotel as it would
> to
> fly to Vienna. I know I've checked this out thoroughly. I could have got
> a
> fly-drive package to Anaheim for less than I could get a similar package
> to
> Vienna. And I would certainly have preferred to go to the IBM event

I've just checked, I can get a flight from London to Vienna for less than
90 quid. Are you telling me you can get a flight from London to LAX AND a
car for less than 90 quid?

> rather
> than an IIUG/IDUG event.

Why? All you'd get is DB2 sold at you.

> And not all people can get the time away from work either.

Hell yes, how inconsiderate of IDUG to run a conference when people can't
get off work.


--
Bye now,
Obnoxio

"... no bill is required as no value was provided."
-- Christine Normile

--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by OpenProtect(http://www.openprotect.com), and is
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"scottishpoet" <dryburghj@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1160157242.568405.142830@i3g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...
>
>
>> I don't think our croatian friend was objecting to having to pay. It's
>> just
>> that it's a lot of money. I don't know what Croatian salaries are like
>> but
>> I think they are probably a lot less than a DBA would get in UK.
>
> Sorry maybe I wasn't as clear as I hoped.
>
> I guess the price was set by IDUG and IIUG couldn't really say to the
> Informix clients it is $500 if IDUG charged $2000. I believe IIUG
> offered higher discounts for early bookers but that may be wrong.
> Interesting to see that few people even took those discounts up.
>
> Hence my question if it was as unaffordable for the DB2 clients and its
> not just an IIUG problem

A discount of 235 euros (about 12%) was offered for early bookers. If one
were to be picky, which I never am,one might point out that the 235 Euro
discount was trumpeted in enormous type in many mails, whereas you had to
click through about 5 links to find out what was the actual registration
price. Almost as if they were embarrassed about the price, but perhaps
that's just a style of marketing which Europeans are unused to ...

Very good point about the same price being applied to DB2 users. My hunch
would be that it comes down to the much more secure feeling that DB2 users
have about IBM's commitment to their product, through extensive advertising,
marketing etc. I'm afraid that end of the day all roads lead back to this
point.

I attended the organising teams post-conference debrief, the US IDUG
team and Event organisers reckoned this conference was better organised
and run more smoothly than the US conferences.

The Informix attendees I spoke to, and yes there wasn't a whole load,
claimed it was a more 'technical' conference than the US. The IIUG
delivered the content that the Informix community had told us they
wanted. Why didn't we have more attendees, was it cost of the
conference (maybe), cost of getting there (doubt it), the fact the venue
and date kept changing (maybe) or just Informix community apathy
(probably)



Paul Watson
Tel: +44 1414161772
Mob: +44 7818003457
Web: www.oninit.com

GO FURTHER with DB2
GET THERE FASTER with Informix.
Attend IDUG 2007 San Jose, North America
May 6-10, 2006
Visit http://www.iiug.org/conf for more information.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Obnoxio The Clown [mailtobnoxio@serendipita.com]
> Posted At: 06 October 2006 13:24
> Posted To: comp.databases.informix
> Conversation: Insider #75: Highlights: IBM Information On
> Demand 2006,The Next Informix IDS Release...
> Subject: RE: Insider #75: Highlights: IBM Information On
> Demand 2006,The Next Informix IDS Release...
>
>
>
> malcolm weallans said:
> >
> > Generally I think the IIUG must look at the issues of how
> much people
> > can is going to dilute the attendance at the IDUG/IIUG event as it
> > doesn't cost as much to fly to Anaheim and stay in a non-conference
> > hotel as it would to fly to Vienna. I know I've checked this out
> > thoroughly. I could have got a fly-drive package to
> Anaheim for less
> > than I could get a similar package to Vienna. And I would
> certainly
> > have preferred to go to the IBM event
>
> I've just checked, I can get a flight from London to Vienna
> for less than 90 quid. Are you telling me you can get a
> flight from London to LAX AND a car for less than 90 quid?
>
> > rather
> > than an IIUG/IDUG event.
>
> Why? All you'd get is DB2 sold at you.
>
> > And not all people can get the time away from work either.
>
> Hell yes, how inconsiderate of IDUG to run a conference when
> people can't get off work.
>
>
> --
> Bye now,
> Obnoxio
>
> "... no bill is required as no value was provided."
> -- Christine Normile
>
> --
> This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous
> content by OpenProtect(http://www.openprotect.com), and is
> believed to be clean.
>