Steven Verona ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
: The ideal solution would be to replace the underpowered HP3K with a
: modern UNIX box.
 
Well, that's one solution, but I'm not sure that would be the "ideal" solution.
We've surveyed hundreds of customers who are running "modern
UNIX boxes" right next to "modern MPE boxes", and have been told
that there are at least three important differences between
the two platforms.
 
1)      UNIX is much more difficult to manage than MPE.
2)      UNIX is not as reliable as MPE
3)      UNIX is not necessarily more cost effective than
        MPE (although it can be).
 
: It will
: certainly cost less to do it right NOW rather than after you have spent
: a lot of money on interim measures.
 
Steve, I don't think that you were listening to the customer.
The original poster did not seem to be thinking of using POSIX
as an "interim measure".  It sounds like this customer is
basicly happy with the 3000 environment, and wants to stay
there.  The only problems that they have is that the S/70
that they're using is underpowered, (the 947 that Jon
mentioned in his original post will certainly solve that
problem), and that they have concerns about being tied to
their current applications vendor.
 
Jon - please be sure that you understand what you're getting
with your 947.  You seem to have very high expectations for
POSIX, and I want to make sure you're being realistic.
Here's the bad news and the good news about POSIX.  First
the bad news...
 
First of all, POSIX is not UNIX.  You cannot buy "off the
shelf" UNIX applications and run them on your HP 3000 - at
least not using POSIX.  POSIX is a set of APIs that allows
application programmers to port an application from a UNIX
box to an HP 3000 - much as they might port the applications
from one vendor's version of UNIX (such as IBM's AIX) to
another's (such as HP's HP-UX).  If you're writing your own
UNIX-based applications, or if your application vendor is
willing to undertake the port, then POSIX could be a very
useful tool.
 
The second piece of bad news is that most commercial UNIX applications are not
written speicifically for POSIX.  POSIX is only applicable
if the application is written in C.
 
Now comes the good news.  Most commercial UNIX applications
are written using fourth generation languages such as those
available from Oracle, Uniface, Cognos or Progress.  Because
of the POSIX interfaces, we've been able to port a number of
fourth generation languages to the 3000.  As a result, there
are new applications turning up on the 3000 platform all the
time.
 
HP is committed to making the port even easier than it is
today.  We believe that your choice of applications on the
3000 will only get better in the future.  Please feel free
to contact me (or have your sales rep contact me) if you
have questions.
 
-geo