And I disagree with Gary.  GUIs can be extremely useful when used properly.

/*Smug Example alert*/
Hiback has GUI support on the 3000 and other platforms.  This doesn't mean you
have to do everything via the GUI.  Not at all, the command line is completely
available.  However, the GUI is great because it allows you to be extremely
surgical in restore situations where only some files are required.  The GUI is
used to drill down into various backups where you can easily zero in on the
exact file desired and with a few mouse clicks, the restore is done.

Using the GUI you also have a search option whereby you select the backups to
search, specify a file name with wild cards if needed and the GUI shows you
which backups contain the file(s).  If you have a DLT library hooked up to your
HP e3000, a few mouse clicks later and the requested file is restored from the
appropriate backup without human intervention.

The implementation is simple.  The GUI server on MPE runs as a component of
JINETD.  When someone uses the Hiback GUI on Windows on UNIX, they "tickle" the
3000 on a specific port and connect to the GUI server and after proper
credentials are given, voila, instant GUI access to the HP 3000.  The GUI
ultimately interfaces to Hiback command line and instructs it appropriately for
the task to be done.  The overhead is negligible.  We use the same mechanism to
use the HP 3000 as a backup server for other systems.
/*End of smug example alert*/

There are situations where a GUI is most appropriate and others where it is
not.  Making a blanket statement just leaves you uncovered.

Kind regards,

Denys. . .

Denys Beauchemin
HICOMP
(800) 323-8863  (281) 288-7438         Fax: (281) 355-6879
denys at hicomp.com                             www.hicomp.com


-----Original Message-----
From:   Gary Sielaff [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Tuesday, August 15, 2000 9:46 AM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: More Powerful and Prettier

I disagree.. The only thing GUI does is slow things down and make
the things that happen in the background, more complicated.  "Pretty"
is not going to sell the 3k.
JMO
Gary
----- Original Message -----
From: Porter, Allen H <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2000 6:46 AM
Subject: [HP3000-L] More Powerful and Prettier


> I would like to start a discussion thread.  I'm curious about how you are
> leveraging new technologies to update/rejuvenate the 3000 (Samba, Apache,
> Java, Reflection scripting for user interfaces, Visual Basic links to the
> 3000)?  What are you doing to give it a more "modern" feel and be more
user
> friendly (e.g. GUI interface)?  What have you done to make the 3000 more
> powerful by providing information and access in new ways and, of course,
we
> have to make it prettier because that's what sells and makes people think
it
> is newer and better (sad but true).
>
> In my world, we do not use Image databases or standard forms.  We do,
> however, have extensive menus built with HP script.  I have tested the use
> of host based Reflection scripts to provide a GUI interface to these menus
> but there are some challenges with doing this such as size limitations of
> host initiated scripts. I would like to hear about the approaches people
> have taken and the lessons learned.  This is a big topic, but I think it
> could spark some ideas.