I got a private message from a friend and I would like to respond on this
public forum (minus my friend's name).
>----------
>> From: F. Alfredo Rego <[log in to unmask]>
>>>
>> Denys Beauchemin <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> >How about leaving it as Interex. I have always hated the name, but we
>> >>need continuity.
>>
>> Continuity? We need to break with the past. We are revolutionaries, after
>> all, always looking for all kinds of NEW ways to improve the usefulness of
>> the HP3000 as a world-class online-transaction processor.
>>
>> (Note, before Denys jumps on me: Some of these new ways involve
>> connectivity issues with other operating systems whose forte is not
>> necessarily "reliable raw-power OLTP that economically allows non-guru
>> customers to serve hundreds or thousands of concurrent users with minimal
>> headaches".)
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>---------------------------------
>
>OK, Alfredo, the revolutionary, where are we going? A new name is not much
>of a change. Do you propose starting over with a completely new
>organization? Expensive and unrewarding UNLESS the mision of the
>organization is changed. I don't think that it is in the power of Interex to
>revolutionize itself from almost any standpoint, particularly a financial
>one.
>
>Just what do you have in mind?
Nothing fancy, really. I was not even thinking of Interex and its
organization. I was just thinking of the opportunity presented by
"thinking about a new name" for the enterprise that faces us. What I have
in mind is just what I said:
________________________________________________________________
*** Continuity? We need to break with the past.
In particular, we need to break with HP's former Corporate neglect
regarding the HP3000. I see very positive changes in HP's attitude and
that is something worthy of celebration.
Some (not so clever and not so creative) people have attached the
pejorative word "legacy" to the HP3000. That is the kind of "past" that we
need to break with/from as all of us (users as well as CSY) push the HP3000
FORWARD towards the future, with as much vigor and enthusiasm as possible.
________________________________________________________________
*** We are revolutionaries, after all, always looking for all kinds of NEW
ways to improve the usefulness of the HP3000 as a world-class
online-transaction processor.
My dictionary defines "revolutionary" as "associated with a radical change"
and "radical" as "relating to, or proceeding from a root". Nothing short
of going to the very root of the HP3000 (its golden opportunities as well
as its current challenges) will do.
If Interex (or whatever it may be eventually called) is willing to pursue
this radical/revolutionary HP3000 objective with the same zeal that Bill
Gates shows for NT, you can imagine the outcome.
I cannot see Interex pushing Unix with any zeal at all, given the fact that
Bill Gates is not doing so (and Lew Platt goes along with Bill Gates).
I began my HP life as a systems programmer for the HP2100 (which later
became the HP1000), writing things that were not supposed to be (such as
sort/merge stuff). Even though I loved that first machine as you can only
love a first love, I don't see RTE as the main pillar of Interex.
Clearly, NT does not need Interex to push it with any zeal, because Bill
Gates can do that better than anyone else in the industry, being the leader
that he is. Even more, there are MANY suppliers of hardware for NT and NT
users are not going to join Interex massively just so they can have "a
voice" that will bend the ears of Bill Gates regarding their NT concerns.
So, in the final analysis, it turns out that the loyal users of the HP3000
are, still, the main focus of Interex. Ergo, my stressing of the HP3000 in
terms of Interex.
________________________________________________________________
*** (Note, before Denys jumps on me: Some of these new ways involve
connectivity issues with other operating systems whose forte is not
necessarily "reliable raw-power OLTP that economically allows non-guru
customers to serve hundreds or thousands of concurrent users with minimal
headaches".)
The connectivity and interoperability of the HP3000 with other operating
systems (via TCP/IP interfacing, as an excellent example) is one of the
most important advocacy issues that Interex can tackle. The engineers at
CSY are doing a fantastic job in this regard. In particular, the HP3000
can do OLTP, today, with an unmatched cost/benefit ratio.
It is wise to let the HP3000 continue to improve as a reliable (and
SPECIALIZED) OLTP server while letting other operating systems provide
beautiful GUI (and beyond-GUI) interfaces to deal with the front-end
issuess of applications. On the other hand, it would be unwise to pretend
that the HP3000 can compete with a Mac in terms of visual appeal or to
pretend that an NT server, today, can be as good as MPE/iX for OLTP.
Naturally, given the relative zeals with which Bill Gates and Lew Platt are
pushing NT and the HP3000, respectively, all bets are open regarding
TOMORROW; but it's not too late for HP to beef up the HP3000 today!
________________________________________________________________
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.
The name-change contest comes as an appropriate "take stock" reminder for
us to step back for a moment and to see the broader picture. Perhaps the
name change will serve to rekindle the flame in Interex.
What was the motivation for the name change, anyhow? Was it a clever plot
on the part of Interex to rekindle our collective enthusiasm for the
HP3000? :-)
_______________
| |
| |
| r | Alfredo [log in to unmask]
| e | http://www.adager.com
| g | F. Alfredo Rego Tel 208 726-9100
| a | Manager, R & D Labs Fax 208 726-2822
| d | Adager Corporation
| A | Sun Valley, Idaho 83353-3000 U.S.A.
| |
|_______________|
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