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CA Sues Over DB2 Migration Tool
aesoteric writes "Software giant CA has filed suit against an Australian software developer over a program that allegedly enabled companies to migrate off CA database platforms onto IBM DB2. It claimed the software 'reproduced' portions of confidential source and object codes without permission and deprived CA of license fees. CA also disputed claims that its database platform was 'dying.'"
Datacom, apparently.
Never heard of it myself though judging from the size of the Wikipedia article, neither has anyone else.
The two products are CA-Datacom/DB from Computer Associates and 2BDB2 from ISI.
CA-Datacom was originally developed ADR (Applied Data Research) in the 1980's. It's an inverted-index style database, a design approach which was popular before the SQL model came to dominate DBMS design. CA may claim that Datacom is not dying, but they will be unable to point to a new customer signed in the last 15 years. Pretty much every site which has Datacom installed also has DB2. Having critical data spread across multiple DBMS's is a significant problem, so they want to consolidate to a single DBMS (and it isn't going to be Datacom). CA has been milking Datacom for it's flow of license fees for years. They provide support and keep Datacom working with new releases of z/OS, but otherwise feature growth has been minimal. For instance, CA has failed to develop similar functionality to 2BDB2.
2BDB2 is a transparency layer which simulates Datacom/DB on top of DB2. This allows applications which have been developed for Datacom/DB to actually access DB2, with 2BDB2 translating program calls to Datacom/DB into SQL requests to DB2 and passing the results back. The Datacom/DB app does not have to changed or recompiled (a major advantage as retesting mainframe code is very expensive). 2BDB2 also provides a similar transparency layer for VSAM files.
The litigation between CA and ISI has be running for some years. It started after ISI sold 2BDB2 to some large sites, in particular US Customs (which was the largest Datacom/DB user, and I presume, paid the largest license fees). This dispute is all about screwing the customer so as to continue to receive the cash flow.
CA is where terminal software goes to die
The business model is:
1) Buy products that are circling the drain
2) Flog said products to the clueless
3) Promise a big party at CA World
4) PROFIT!!!
We have assloads of CA shiteware, our clueless managers just love going to CA World every year. Last year's keynote was that Avatar guy, w00t!
-- How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.