X-no-Archive:yes
> HP knows about MPE very well.
I do not know what Carly does or does not know. And I doubt you do. If by HP
you mean management, it is easy to believe that they are preoccupied with
other "hot" issues, and hard to believe that most of us here have any idea
what they know. If by HP you mean HP, too many of us have had the experience
of talking with someone at HP who seemed to know little or nothing about
MPE. This may be due to HP's internal autonomies.

> You don't want to see the writing on the wall because you love too much
what you are used to.
I believe that all of us know at least one other platform. I don't know of
anybody who runs MPE and nothing else anywhere else. I understand Blue Cross
Blue Shield is a good sized organization, running a few things in their
shops. I spent the first half of my career on other platforms. The 3000 was
not my first "minicomputer". And, since starting to work with MPE, I have
also had experience with NT 3.51 thru W2K, more UNIXen, OS/400, and MVS and
OS/390 on a mainframe. And I am not saying this to brag; with all that,
there are list members whose experience, in breadth and depth, make me look
like a rank amateur. For most of us, it's an informed choice. We see more
than the writing on the wall; we see what works.

> Your cost effectiveness versus functionality and available software in
other platforms can not stand for a
> minute.   I love MPE as much as you do but you can not blindly ignore the
fact that there are software
> packages out there that outnumber the available ones to MPE.
Off The Shelf apps may not be as common as we would like, and selling those
that are available has its own challenges. We believe that HP could help
this situation by not treating the 3000 like the unloved stepchild. OTOH,
how many of these apps are so trivial that they would max out on a system
equivalent to a 918? We looked at a billing application, that we discovered
was intended solely for a very small lawyers office, and started struggling
to track eight "resources". What a joke! It serves a small and particular
niche, but how long do you think that product will be around? How many apps
are bought, then outgrown, and painfully discarded? And, in addition to some
shining examples of OTS software, there is a world of custom software that
is the lifeblood of many companies. Isn't this largely what Y2K was about?
And having spent the time and money to ensure Y2K compliance, how many
companies are now going to choose to rehost?

> That you run an airline reservation system with an HP system means nothing

> if the whole world runs their businesses in other platforms.
Since the if is false, we can move right along...

> Just some thoughts and wood to the fire.
The lack of responses could mean that almost everybody else regards these
posts as trolling; some folks like to see their names in print. If you
choose to continue posting, try to be more respectful of the list members,
and try to give your postings some more thought.

Greg Stigers
http://www.cgiusa.com