I have a large and important (to me) and highly visible client who
currently uses a couple of big MPE boxes to run our product, which is
a language and control system to run a telephone based survey
research or market research shop.  Their company runs primarily on
SUN Solaris systems; they have dozens of them all over the place and
they are quite happy with them.  Our application is the only reason
they have any other kind of computer around (except for PC's on every
desk).

I have been happy developing on and for MPE since the CX, and I like
it just fine.  I am also quite fluent with at least some aspects of
MPE, and I have always been delighted with its solidity, reliability,
familiarity and so on.  My enthusiasm has been a big factor in
keeping the client on the MPE box, that and the fact that until
several years ago, our application was written in SPL.

I have always been candid with them that my enthusiasm for MPE is at
least partly based on my long experience and familiarity.  I am not
entirely unwilling to learn new tricks but the old ones are so
comfortable!

However, they are going through some kind of periodic serious
evaluation of their software and hardware, and they have hired some
big deal consulting firm to help make a decision on what computer
hardware, telephone dialing hardward,and computer software to
continue with.  We are a little worried about them going to some
other software vendor but we are currently acting on the assumption
that they are going to decide that they are happy sticking with us.
If they decide to go with some other software, I don't care what kind
of hardware they choose.

Assuming they do stick with us, I do care about their hardware
choice.  I believe (with no solid foundation) that the MPE box is the
way to go; they have two big machines which serve four interviewing
sites each of which has maybe 200 or 300 interviewers.  They make
maybe half a million calls per month, and gather data in carloads.
The nature of their business makes it very very difficult to slow
down any time, and very very messy if there is any kind of
significant software or hardware failure.  When there is any kind of
glitch in the software, the pressure on me as their main support
person (because I am the main developer of this application) is
intense.

I could go on for a while but the main point is, I like it as it is
now because it doesn't fail very often; the MPE boxes and the
software have been running very reliably for years, and I am familiar
with everything that is happening, and I am able to get software
upgrades in there with (usually) no more than a few medium serious
problems when we switch versions.

During a long conference call with them a couple weeks ago, I said
that I would like to set up a meeting, probably a conference call,
with a couple of their people, and a couple of their consultants, and
one or two serious MPE experts/boosters who could talk about why
MPE might be the best choice for them to follow.  They agreed that
that could be a good idea, and they would like to do it.  I said that
I would go off looking for the MPE people and then we could set up
the meeting.

So, I am here looking for advice, or volunteers, or something.  I
am not sure what kind of person I am thinking about; someone who is
somehow more balanced and technical than a sales representative but I
am not sure what that means.  Maybe HP has such people or maybe someone
who doesn't work for HP would provide be percieved as having a bias
based on their experience rather than their employer.








Be well, and do good things.

- Joe Weisman
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