1  Informix Background: 1991 and Before
2  Phil’s War Strategy: 1992
3  Reaching the Summit: 1993-1994
4  Nothing but Database: 1995
5  World War III: 1996
6  A Terrible Year: 1997
7  The Wheels of Justice: 1998-2004
8  Lessons from Lompoc Prison: An Interview with Phil White

Introduction

Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results.
                                            Niccolo Machiavelli

     In 200 BC Emperor Shi Huangdi ordered the building of a great wall to keep the Mongols from attacking his empire. He dictated that the wall should be five men high and six horses wide, with watchtowers posted every three hundred feet. Surprisingly, invaders overcame this seemingly impenetrable barrier three times during the first one hundred years of its existence alone. The invading armies didn’t have to take long marches around it nor incur huge losses trying to scale

 it in a massive frontal assault. All they had to do was bribe the guards who manned the gates. History tells us many important lessons if we choose to listen, like this one about strategy, tactics, and the eternalness of greed.

The Patriarch of Informix
    In 1997 Phil White was the president, CEO, and chairman of Informix Software. But his importance went far beyond what these titles convey. He was the leader, visionary, guiding force, and patriarch of Informix. In one sense, Informix and Phil White were one and the same. Even though the company had tens of thousands of shareholders and thousands of employees, Informix was his company.

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