> win nt, unix, ibm as400/e etc.
>
> what's the future for mpe system? pardon me for my ignorance,
> from what i know is that mpe is a stable system but why is it
> that unix's presence far exceeds that of the mpe?


1.  The situation for the HP 3000 has many parallels with the AS/400
including loyal user base (a loyalty that goes beyond just
familiarity -- e.g. "I like it because I know it"),  size range,
features.   You should ask as well why unix's presence far exceeds
that of the AS/400.

2.  Logically one should ask why Unix's presence exceeds mainframes,
AS/400, HP 3000, perhaps even NT.   In some ways the comparison is
unfair.  UNIX is not a single OS but rather a family of related  *but
different* versions of an idea.     Today the fastest growing OS is
not UNIX but NT and NT is a proprietary OS.

3.  MPE/iX encapsulates a "UNIX" environment.  The MPE/iX POSIX shell
is approximately as "UNIX compatible" as many others.   This has been
thoroughly demonstrated by the many UNIX  to MPE/iX POSIX ports.

4.  What is the future?   The facts speak for themselves.
  a) HP has made commitments to the platform that extend many years
into the future.
  b) Sales in last two years has shown strong growth.

Cortlandt Wilson
Cortlandt Software
www.cortsoft.com  (MANMAN 3rd party  Resources site)
(650) 966-8555