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At IPROF-95 there was an extended discussion at the
HP management roundtable, where a variety of users
and third party developers made what I thought was a
compelling case for C++ on the 3000.  I believe a
consensus read of HP's current position is:  Having the
shareware GNU C++ compiler is "good enough", and
HP has no current plans to bring an HP supported NM
C++ to the 3000.
 
The week after IPROF there were numerous messages
posted to 3000-L on same subject.  More good reasons
why there should be an HP supported C++ on the 3000.
One of the best of many good posts was by Chris
Breemer from Uniface.  In part he wrote:
 
"At Uniface we port to many platforms. MPE is the only
one on which no C++ compiler is available, or even
planned.  Yes, even on IBM MVS there is one !  This is
actually beginning to hold up our natural migration path
from C to C++.
 
If HP is totally committed to open up the HP3000 for
(UNIX) apps they should provide a C++ environment. If
not the HP3000 will miss out on a certain number of
object-oriented applications and this problem may well
aggravate in the next few years to come."
[.....SNIP.....]    <<end Chris's comments >>
 
But in all the talk about C++ on the 3000, we the IPROF
attendees blew it in one respect:  At least as far as any
version of any of the SIG enhancement lists that I came
back with, there is no formal user request for 3000 C++.
.... Which reminds me that SIGC went out of business
awhile back.  So who has cognizance over this issue ??
 
Well, SIGMPE would seem to be an obvious fallback.
But HP-Roseville is now supposed to be compiler city,
right ??  So in some ways this might be an important
issue looking for a home.  Here is where the Interex
Advocacy Operations committee can step up to the
plate and fill a hole (at least I hope they will):
 
With all the great stuff the HP CSY Networking Lab is
working on;  client-server;  CORBA;  etc.;  etc.;  I will
go out on a limb and predict that getting an HP -
supported native mode C++ compiler on the 3000 is
going to grow into the next "Bundled ARPA services"
issue....   Except in this case we don't necessarily
expect it to be bundled;  it just needs to be available...
 
Therefore I request that the Interex Advocacy
Operations committee recognize this as a key issue
for the future health and well-being of the HP3000 user
community, and put it on *this year's* Interex Systems
Improvement Ballot (hope it's not too late already);
even though it is not on any SIG list yet;  since there is
no SIGC right now.
 
And I urge other 3000 users who feel the same way to
lobby Jane Copeland (Advocacy Chair) and Chris Sieger
(Systems Improvement Ballot Chair) to make this
happen.  Their email addresses and phone numbers
are published in InterexPRESS Who's Who every month,
so figure I shouldn't be out of line by repeating here:
 
Jane Copeland:  512-280-4391, x222  fax: 512-280-0309
                 email:  [log in to unmask]
Chris Sieger:      703-824-6605   fax:  703-845-8296
                 email:  [log in to unmask]
 
In fact I will hereby submit this as a formal Interex
Advocacy Services Request (this is latest format I've
got);  plagiarism is encouraged:
==========================================
 
Platform:  MPE/iX
 
Name:       Ken Sletten                               System Manager
& etc:        NUWC Division Keyport        Tel:  360-396-2525
                   C/3311, Bldg 894                     fax:  360-396-7861
                   Keyport, WA  98345                Interex ID:       4473
email:        [log in to unmask]
My reference for this request:       3000-C++
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Short Description:       There needs to be an HP-supported
native mode C++ compiler on MPE/iX.
 
Full Description:          Same as above short description.
 
Benefits:       Refer to the extended discussion of this
subject at IPROF-95, and subsequently on HP3000-L.
==========================================
 
And the words of the "Short Description" I have given
above are just the way it should go on the 1995 Systems
Improvement Ballot, IMNSHO.....................     :-)
 
Ken Sletten
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