Jim Phillips writes:

> My controller has just informed me that Cort Directions will not
>  be supporting their payroll package on the HP3000 after May, 2000,
>  in favor of their PC-based payroll package.
>
>  Just what we needed, another application vendor leaving the HP3000
>  for a PC.

Several of our long-time QueryCalc customers have called us in the last
two days asking about suitable replacements for Cort. To an individual,
they absolutely do not want to move off of the HP3000.

As it happens, we have in the recent past given serious consideration to
creating an application suite to be called "QueryCalc Financials,"
composed of the obvious modules of payroll, a/r, a/p, and g/l modules,
at a minimum.

Based on our users' comments and their concerns, similar to those
expressed here on the list, we've spent much of today and yesterday
talking internally about commencing such development now. Thus, let me
announce now that we will create a new payroll applications program for
the HP3000 that will be completed by the end of the year.

It will have these features:

     o  It will be both CM- and NM-compatible, will be IMAGE-based, and
will operate only in MPE-filespace so that it may be run on any HP3000,
of any vintage.

     o  It will be similar to Cort, taking the best of that package into
account, but eliminating much of those features that our customers have
complained about in the past, most especially the database construction.

     o  Run-time versions of QueryCalc and Adager will be bundled into
the product. Report writing is the most elaborate and time-consuming
portion of creating a payroll application. QueryCalc allows us not only
to create reports with extraordinary ease, but also the capacity to
generate standard forms and reports that will be indistinguishable from
standard federal forms. Adager will allow us user-invisible, background
database restructurings and reoptimizations.

     o  It will clearly be Y2K compliant.

     o  It will well integrated into QCTerm, particularly so for the
graphics capabilities that will soon appear later this year in QCTerm.

     o  Perhaps most importantly, it is our intention to keep the
product reasonably priced.

Payroll is an application that is well suited to our talents. AICS
Research began a time-sharing service in 1977. Because of that, we've
written payroll packages several times before for moderate to large
companies that work in a variety of states under differing union
contract rules and taxing districts. We also own and operate a
subsidiary company called AICS Tax Services that performs tax filings
for other regional corporations and individuals, thus we already have a
staff of knowledgeable tax people in place.

In the past, we've always designed payroll packages to satisfy the
precise demands of the client at hand. A general payroll program will
not be able to generate the same level of customization nor the complete
level of satisfaction that we've achieved in the past -- nonetheless we
do believe very strongly in cooperative design. If any of you are
interested in participating in discussions about which features you
would like to see in such a package, we'd be more than pleased to add
you to the discussion group.

A reasonably priced, highly flexible payroll program is too important a
package not to be present on the HP3000.

Wirt Atmar
AICS Research, Inc.
(800) AICS-INC
(505) 526-4700 fax