There have been several posts to this list on the good news
about the 918/DX.  Now that I've gotten out from under being
gone for two weeks just a little bit, I have one more addition to
the HP developers software bundle that Jeff Vance included in
his original post.  Jeff's latest HP software list that I saw was:

   IMAGE/SQL
   ALLBASE/SQL
   C
   COBOL
   FORTRAN
   BASIC
   PASCAL
   XDB - Symbolic debugger
   GLANCE

When I and the other usual suspects from SIGRAPID saw the
above preliminary list at HP World, we of course immediately
noticed one very important omission:  The compiler for the best
language with which to do IMAGE database I/O on the 3000,
a.k.a. TRANSACT/iX with TRANDEBUG/iX....  Sorry, Wirt, but I
have to respectfully disagree with your long-ago post:  BASIC
may be good, but NM TRANSACT/iX is better.....  And if HP
implements "Open Transact" & full Image B-tree support as I
am guessing they will (both are now under active investigation
by the RAPID Lab, per HP in Chicago), it will be better still.  :-)

Anyway, for those that may have missed it here is the ala
Paul Harvey "rest of the story" on Transact/iX for the 918/DX:

(1)   After Harry Sterling's very encouraging plenary session on
the HP 3000 in Chicago, at Dave Snow's follow-on "more details"
session I asked if the 918/DX would come with ALL current HP
Native Mode (NM) compilers.  HP answer was yes, it would.
TRANSACT/iX is very definitely a current NM compiler.  Yea !!

(2)   With all the good news about the 3000 at HP World, I
figured that the omission of Transact/iX was obviously just
an innocent oversight by HP;  after all, the software list *was*
preliminary.   :-)   .. So we also brought this innocent oversight
to the attention of the Roseville - SSG representatives who
attended SIGRAPID (the meeting was well-attended by HP).
SSG confirmed that TRANSACT/iX  ** WILL BE ** included in
the 918/DX HP developer's software Bundle.  Yea !! again.

(3)   One other RAPID detail that we do not have an answer on
yet:  At the SIGRAPID - Chicago meeting I think it was Nick...
or was it Cecile...  anyway, it wasn't me.... that asked the next
good question:  What about DICTIONARY/3000 for the 918/DX ??

HP said they would have to check on that one;  hopefully we will
have more info soon (& hopefully the answer will again be "yes").
TRANSACT/iX can of course perform all functions without compile-
time access to DICTIONARY/3000....  But it's sure a lot better
and cleaner if DICTIONARY is there;  especially for large systems
with many programs.

BTW, I know there are also some COBOL users out there who
make fairly extensive use of DICTIONARY/3000.  If there are
any COBOL developer's who would like to see DICTIONARY on
the 918/DX, I urge y'all to make your wishes known to HP...
Hello, Ms. Jeanette & Co., a.k.a. SIGCOBOL ??      :-)

ADDENDUM:   Major kudos to both HP and all the third-
party software developers who will be making their products
available on the 918/DX at little or no cost....

Like my PIN (not button) says:  "MPE FOREVER"...   oops...
should that have been preceded by a  <gloat alert>  ??....
Nawww....

Ken Sletten