I have boiled down Alfredo's message to the following:

________________________________________________________________

So, there you have it:

1) We need to break with past practices that have been detrimental to the
HP3000.

2) We need to do it by going to the root of the problem.  Superficial stuff
   and half-hearted attempts won't do.

3) We need to continue to improve the HP3000 in terms of its OLTP strengths
   (particularly regarding IMAGE/SQL and its raw-power INTRINSIC access
   capabilities).  At the same time, we need to improve the connectivity of
   the HP3000 in terms of TCP/IP capabilities for its clients, so that such
   clients may choose SQL-based approaches for standard shrink-wrapped
packages
   or INTRINSIC-based approaches for high-performance OLTP (such as ADBC
via
   Java-enabled clients).  IMAGE/SQL is, as far as I know, the only DBMS in
the industry that offers users that choice.

Now I answer:

1- Which practices are you talking about, and what do you propose doing to
reverse them?  Are you going to:

a) Go to the board at HP and convince them that the HP 3000 is the
company's salvation and they need to concentrate all resources on it.

b) Start a company which will take over support and development for the HP
3000.

c) Go to the Interex board and convince them to dump all other platforms
and concentrate solely on HP 3000 issues.

d) Start your own users group and deal only with HP 3000 issues.

e) Go all over the world and convince every company to buy HP 3000s to
fulfill all their computing needs.


2- Ok, I am all for going to the root of the problem, no half-hearted
attempts here and I don't do superficial stuff (I can't even spell
superficial).  Where do we go?  What is the root of the problem?


3- As for your last point, at least it was clearer and more defined than
the others.  SIGIMAGE has been doing quite a job working with HP's IMAGE
labs in defining and solving the various issues you outlined.  I know your
tremendous efforts in that respect were instrumental in setting the
direction for IMAGE these many years.  I would like to think that other
people's efforts assisted in this endeavor and that, on the whole, IMAGE
has evolved in the proper direction.  I am not sure about ADBC and Java
junk, (sorry, technical term here, make that stuff), but I think the
remainder is evolving properly, albeit slowly.

Anyways, all this to say that when you are ready to do any of the above, or
something else entirely, please let me know.  I want to be there when it
happens, and, knowing me, I will do my best to assist you.  I love lost
causes.  I will be the Sancho Pansa to your Don Quixote as you go after
windmilling Operating Systems.  Tell me, will IMAGE be Roxanne?  HP doesn't
stand a chance as we have them outnumbered.  There are two of us, and they
will be all alone!  (Just one thing, please don't force me to use a Mac!)


Kind regards,

Denys. . .

Denys Beauchemin
Hicomp America, Inc.
[log in to unmask]        www.hicomp.com/hicomp
(800) 323-8863   (281) 288-7438  fax: (281) 355-6879