Customers do come and go, the thing with U2 is that you don't see most of the customer base because it's an OEM product, most of the customers run someone's application. That's the market and U2 is becoming just part of the mix for most VARs. Our application is U2 based but the code is increasingly outside the database so we don't really recruit many U2 people any more, we recruit java people. Doesn't mean that U2 isn't a big part of what we do, it just means that coding in UniBasic isn't a big part of it.
The future doesn't include a great deal of green screen basic coding but that doesn't mean that it doesn't include U2. If you are a basic coder then the world of work doesn't look too good, you need to reskill, but that can still involve U2. As for maintenance, if people don't get anything from it they won't pay it. Taking the money and doing nothing isn't an option. The thing that is right about this is that the company fit U2, they are a technically orientated company, they sell OEM, they let their subsidiaries get on with it, they have a lot of positives about them. We'll see what happens but there is no need to be down about it, moving from basic coding to something like .NET is the right thing to do. But that doesn't have to mean leaving U2 you can use it as the database in your .NET application, many people do. George On 17/09/2009 15:23, "Bessel, Karen" <[email protected]> wrote: > I don't mean to be Ms. Doom & Gloom, but I have to disagree with Chuck. > U2 has been headed towards a rest home for years. I've worked for > several end-users as well as a few U2 VAR's over the years, and it's > pretty apparent to me that it's on its way out. I'd really like to look > at this Rocket thing as a positive development, and say, "YEAH....this > is a GOOD THING", but I think it's time to strip off the rose-colored > glasses. The "ostrich with its head in the sand" thing doesn't work for > me any more. I wish that wasn't the case, but it is. The three > companies that I have worked for since 2004 have either done away with > U2 already, or are currently in the process of doing so. > > > > * A HUGE multi-national wholesale distributor in the > mid-Atlantic region with THOUSANDS of users all over the US - Unidata - > they are moving to SAP. > > * A small division of ACS in Richmond, VA which doesn't bear > mentioning (handful of users) - U2 was phased out and its functionality > was replaced with SQL/SSIS. > > * A VAR with about a hundred government clients in TX & GA - > porting users to new .NET application over the next two years and > phasing UV out entirely. > > > > > > These are three examples of a trend which is continuing all over the > country. Changing jobs in the U2 world is like jumping from one lily > pad to another - no one (that I've seen) is planning to continue a long > term relationship with U2 any more. > > > > Myself? I've gone back to school and I'm studying .NET development. Over > the next year or two, I'm going to bid UniBasic development a fond adieu > in favor of an application development > > > > > > > > > > If Rocket wants people to pay maintenance, they will still have to port > to new O/S releases where needed, still have to offer upgrades with new > features, and still have to employ U2 support people. > > > > I hate to point out the obvious but they don't have to do anything with > your maintenance fees other than provide support. Upgrades are not a > given. > > > > Rocket does a lot of IBM mainframe work. > > > > So does IBM. > > > > So, Rocket offering UnIverse and UnIData to existing (read IBM mainframe > & mid-size) customers is not a big stretch. > > > > IBM could've done this for years and didn't. > > > > Rocket has a lot of people with ":Engineer" in their titles. > > > > So does IBM. > > > > > > Why is there an assumption that Rocket is going to do anything more than > IBM did with U2 (nothing)? > > > > > > > > Karen Bessel > Software Developer > > Tyler Technologies, Inc. > 6500 International Parkway, Suite 2000 > Plano, TX 75093 > Phone: 972.713.3770 ext:6227 > Fax: 972.713.3780 > Email: [email protected] > Web: http://www.tylertech.com > > > > Tyler is proud to be the Platinum Sponsor of > The Court Technology Conference 2009 > Sept. 22-24, 2009 | Denver, CO > _______________________________________________ > U2-Users mailing list > [email protected] > http://listserver.u2ug.org/mailman/listinfo/u2-users _______________________________________________ U2-Users mailing list [email protected] http://listserver.u2ug.org/mailman/listinfo/u2-users
