Mr. McCarthy,

I am appalled!  I don't subscribe to ERP News yet... and if the trend
continues, I probably won't.  What trend?  The trend by Interex in
multiple publications to downplay (or ignore) the significance of the HP
3000 and MPE.   I have noticed for some time a gradual decline in the
coverage of MPE in such (former) publications as "Interact" and HP
World.  Now I understand the trend continues in your latest offering.

Despite my lack of a subscription to the publication, I have read the
lead article on-line.  I was aghast when I read the following quote
under item #4:

     "And your IT staff may need to learn about managing UNIX, NT,
     servers, and many other technologies that are not nearly as
     mature as your AS/400."

I would expect more from an entity that is dependent on (and beholden
to?) the HP 3000 community.  To cite references to "your AS/400" in an
HP oriented publication is akin to mentioning the Koran in an article
about the Bible.  Supporters of each platform are often that zealous in
support of their particular platform.  The sentence should have read:
"...that are not nearly as mature as your HP 3000.".

The HP 3000 and MPE is one of the most mature operating systems around,
but unlike the AS/400, it is not out-of-date.  It is a 25 year old
operating system built on a 10 year old technology (PA-RISC) on leading
edge migration path to the next generation (IA-64).  Unlike many other
proprietary operating system shops, most HP 3000 shops already know
about UNIX and NT and "other technologies" because they have had to meld
them into their environments because of pressure from management.  Why
would management exert pressure on IT to adopt these new technologies?
The answer is simple:  the media has told them that the future lies down
these paths.

One of the biggest problems that the HP community is experiencing is a
lack of proper and adequate coverage by the mainstream press of a very
reliable, durable, and user-friendly platform.  For Interex to fall prey
to the same press coverage mentality is inexcusable.  I seriously think
that Interex, and you in particular, owe the HP community a sincere
apology for the slight in a lead article of this nature.  The HP3000-L
listserver would be an appropriate place to record such an apology.  It
would also be an appropriate place to begin research on future
articles.  You would be amazed at the amount of information you could
gather from the knowledgeable sources which subscribe to the list.

I hope you don't mind, but I am publishing this as an open letter to the
HP 3000 community as well.  Perhaps you will understand the importance
of these issues to the community in the very near future...

Sincerely yours,

Glenn J. Koster, Sr.

(For those who have not seen or read the article themselves, the entire
text can be found at http://www.interex.org/erpnews/erpget1.html)
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