An open letter to Hewlett-Packard ALLBASE/NET management:
 
While we are on the subject of PC API and various transports, I'd like
to wonder *LOUDLY* about the status of Lan Workplace vis-a-vis PC API.
 
UC Davis is a stronghold for NetWare, and as such, the TCP transport
of choice (insofar as Microcomputer Services is concerned) is Lan
Workplace 5.0.  I have been developing a Powerbuilder-based DSS component
for the last two months that used our 948 as a data source (Allbase).
 
Our 3000 is politically unpopular around here (not IBM), and this
project was to be a demonstration of the 3000's ability to deliver
data to anyone anywhere. helping to secure its future (and ours, since
programming IBM 3090s is a step backwards for any self-respecting HP3000
programmer).
 
So you can imagine my frustration when Murphy reared his ugly head
and swatted this quaint fantasy of distributing Allbase data to desktops
all over campus.
 
To close a long story, I have had to move the data to an old Sun running
Sybase 4.2 to get off the ground, since PC API DOESN'T WORK WITH LAN
WORKPLACE!!!
 
Come on, HP, you can do better than this.  Pretty please, won't you,
can't you fix this problem, before people around here get it fixed
in their minds that HPs can't be used for serious purposes?
 
<<whimper>>
 
 
--Jim