I am interested in a small development system for home.  Each attempt I've
made in the last few years at a used HP3000 gets above $7,000 with only Mpe
and Image, but without a compiler or any other software.  Then there's Mpex,
Adager, Suprtool, Qedit, etc, etc.  The last I checked the Cobol Compiler for
a used 948 cost $12,000 and $2,850 for a 917.  So if a 948 was free I
wouldn't be able to pop the $12k.  Cobol is something like $50 a month just
for software update service.  Add up all the other costs and its not
practical for individuals.  This stifles creativity for HP3000 related
products and encourages them even more for other platforms.


Chuck Duncan
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