Having just acquired quotes from brokers for a customer for a 928LX test
system, the price for a complete MPE/iX/Image 20 user licensed system was
about $3000. The biggest problem was finding a system that had COBOL II and
several other HP3000 products licensed on it. The cost to add the compilers
and other products from HP was very expensive. You have to add in the cost
of 3rd party tools, too. If you already have a 9x7, you have paid for all
the licenses previously.

If HP wants to tap into the large 9x7 installed base for testing, then they
need to allow 7.0/7.5 to boot on these systems as it once did in beta 7.0.
Obviously, the customers will have to remove and do without the HP-IB
devices they have attached. Without this large potential testing
environment, HP won't have much luck with beta testing of patches on these
idle test systems.

***************************************************************
 CDR Paul Edwards USNR Ret.       HP 3000/9000 Certified Consultant
 Paul Edwards & Associates        Phone: (972) 242-6660
 1506 Estates Way                 Fax  : (972) 446-9022
 Carrollton TX 75006              Cel  : (214) 384-8728
 Email: [log in to unmask]          Web  : www.peassoc.com
***************************************************************