[snip lead in]
> Excellent point. This is why HP needs to "get their act together",
> literally, with respect to the TurboIMAGE database "package". Or,
rather,
> the loose-collection-of-sometimes-related-files that is not, but
should
> be, a "package". As has been suggested before, a TurboIMAGE database
> should be a self-consistent and self-describing entity that provides
> built-in consistency support. Things like
> 1) Something-probably the root file-should provide a complete and
> consistent presentation of *everything* that makes up a given
database.
[snip list]
> Steve
>

In addition to Steve's excellent suggestion, while at it, how 'bout:
1. A "simple and standard" way to incorporate graphics and other large
binary files.
This need be nothing more than a way to allocate a HFS directory to
store the data and a database item type to perform the link. By being
listing in the "package," these data files would be backed up, too.

2. An updated name for the Image/SQL DBMS, perhaps TurboSQL. Perhaps
bundle Allbase, too.

3. A "simple and standard" CORBA interface implementation (I think I got
that right) for the native Image calls and for the allbase SQL calls.
The goal where would be for there to be a command way to do
client/server (and broswer/server) implementations - i.e., something as
"standard" (or "common" to MPE professionals) as VIEW/Cobol/Image.

After which, a little promotion wouldn't hurt.

Richard Gambrell