FIRST SOME GOOD STUFF BY DENYS:

[.... lots of SNIP...]

>>This is why I do not see Windows NT displacing the HP
>>3000, but rather complementing existing HP 3000 sites
>by bringing in new capabilities to the enterprise.  Windows
>NT is not an OLTP, in fact if you want to see something
>real slow, look at some of the accounting packages .....

One of the key words in the above is "complementing":  NT
does well (and will keep getting better at) what the 3000
does not do very well or at all;  and visa-versa.  Trying to get
the 3000 to completely "catch up" with all the GUI & etc. NT
stuff is probably a waste of time and not doable in the real
world in any case.


> .... recently UNIX folks have started to feel the pressure ...

>1-UNIX never delivered on its promise of Open Systems,

> 2- Windows NT has most, if not all, of the Internet functions
>that UNIX has, GUI-driven out of the box.

>if the Non Computer actually manages to take off, it will
>need to depend on a fast, robust OLTP-based central
>computer, such as the HP 3000!

THEN MORE BY MARK:

>the 3000 is a great OLTP platform. What it lacks is the
>fancy front end that many people think they need

...  And in at least some cases, really do need.    :-)
Example:  Our site:

We have a large number of long technical procedures in
Microsoft Word, that contain interspersed text & graphics
that can only be displayed on a PC (or in theory the NC).
Shop mechanics are required to go through every step
every time they do a procedure (more theory).

We use MS Word Bookmarks to "index" the procedures,
and then store the bookmarks in Image on the 3000.  Data
in Image drives the overall flow of everything, through 3000
server code in Transact and "C" and out to C++ clients.

The procedures live on a local NT server.  Getting in and
out of them at the right time and at the right step is done
by some OLE magic driving Word that Jerry Bickler did
that I won't even TRY to pretend I understand.

SUMMARY:  Graphics is more than a "nice to have" for
many sites.  As time goes on more and more users will
fall into this category.  The graphical stuff needs to be
closely and efficiently linked to dynamic data in Image.

>suddenly got a new wardrobe and a face lift in the form
>of the NC? Further, what if the server  were the 3000 ...

That's a better "what if" then most of the slogans HP
came up with when they were using the phrase in ads...
  ;-)

>Perhaps that is a strategic direction that we should
>seriously consider?

Sounds like a radically good idea to me;  whether or not
the client is a minimalist PC or some version of the NC.
I.e.: A "slim" client, but one that's good enough to run all
the standard MickeySoft and client presentation stuff at
an acceptable level.

THE CORE OF MY $0.05 ON THIS SUBJECT:
Between now and the end of IPROF on 6 March, we ought
to have some serious discussion of this subject with HP,
at both the tactical and strategic level..  Maybe by making
the combination and integration of MPE and NT as ... can
I bring myself to say it ... grit your teeth ... SEAMLESS as
possible, there might be some opportunities to leap-frog
all flavors of UNIX....  < ?? blue-sky alert required ?? >

AND FINALLY AN ADDENDUM BY JEFF:

>Might be time to dust off the X.11 code lurking on the 3000,
>or should we skip the unix phase and go for the JAVA AWT
>implemented in MPE which would make for NC-ready
>applications, or running a session as a web browser applet?

I mostly defer to the techie experts in this area, but at my
level of understanding I would sure tend to say:  Forget the
UNIX phase:  Think of all those millions of standard browser
users out there, and GO JAVA / NC-ready / web browser...
Can anyone come up with a reason this should not be an
easy decision (maybe there is one;  I'm just asking) ??...

>The big "catch" is not windowing the OS, necessarily, but
>bringing this down to the COBOL level ....  If COBOL 97 is
>embraced as SIGCOBOL suggests, and the SCREEN
>module is implemented, that might fly.

.... And if us fanatic RAPID users can get HP to implement
Steve Dirickson's TRANSACT enhancement proposal to
allow importation of externally generated database and File
ID's, it would be a lot easier for us to join the bandwagon....

SIDEBAR:  I hope Transact users will pay close attention
to what HP says about the language during the Wed 29
January "Future Directions" video conference....

Ken Sletten