Many people have discussed on this list, how to:
(pick one or more of the following)
(1) Keep the HP3000 Viable...
(2) Sell more HP3000's
(3) Compete with AS/400s and other midranges/mainframes
(4) Insert your "how to" here...
Alfredo Rego is an absolute evangelist for the HP3000, as
are many others on this list (myself included)... but HOW DO
WE HELP THE PLATFORM SURVIVE FOR THE LONG TERM? I've really
been pondering this, as have others... Here are some things
I've come up with, and in the spirit of the new year, I'd
like to put them down here for all to see and comment on.
1. As great as they are, the platform WILL NOT survive with
just the best damned tools money can buy. All of the
Adagers, Robelles, Bradmarks, LeeTechs, MiniSofts, WRQs,
etc... as excellent as they are - the tools will not save
the platform...these are peripheral.
2. The 918DX for the small developer --- this will help,
but will NOT ultimately save the platform (keep reading
though :-)
3. All of the POSIX ports being done will not save the
platform. It will enhance the platform for current users,
and will definately be a selling point, but it will not be
the savior.
4. The marketing has been stepped up (the ads in the trade
publications), but not to the level that IBM has placed on
the AS/400. Increased marketing will help a lot...
... but there is one thing overall that the HP3000 needs
above all of the above (and more) - and that is...
... APPLICATIONS! Vertical Market Applications. And LOTS
of them.
The HP3000's bread and butter Vertical Market (for years)
has been Manufacturing. I don't see the push in this area,
which is highly profitable and has been very loyal. I see
many looking at NT (I'm sorry, NT is not an answer to run a
manufacturing concern... supplement it in several areas, but
not run it), and HP-UX or other Unix (at apps such as Baan
and SAP). They're starting to look away from MANMAN,
MM/3000 (which is now being handled by eXegesys),
GrowthPower (which has a shrinking installed base, although
it's a rather good product) and others.
There are others too - Mail Order, Health Care, Financial...
There are "some" good applications out there, but there is
not the "one, big, recognizable name - one that someone
coming from an IBM environment can look at and say - "hey -
they run on a 3000 too? WOW!"
So - in the spirit of the new year (yes, I know I already
said that)... I'd like to propose for discussion (and some
really deep thought by HP), that HP pick one or two vertical
markets, find the "big name vendors" in these markets, and
give them whatever assistance is necessary (monetary
assistance, personpower assistance, heck - even pay some
outside people to help if their resources would be streched
too thin) to port their apps to the MPE line (even if under
POSIX)... and after a successful port - market the
everlovin' hell out of it... flood the market with the news
both during the port, and when it's ready for release - and
get the vendor to do the same ("HEY - WE ARE PORTING TO THE
HP3000 - AND WE SUPPORT THE PLATFORM!")
What will this do?
1. It will get other users on other platforms to sit up and
take notice.
2. It will spur development with other "big name vendors".
3. It will spur development with the smaller developers,
who could either develop their own applications, or assist
these bigger developers with their ports on either a Time
and Materials basis, or for a piece of the
licensing...whatever they could negotiate.
4. It would be a hell of a lot easier to market an HP3000
with big names under your belt, than with names that are
lesser known.
5. Current users would be less inclined to start looking at
Unix or NT solutions.
(I'm sure there are more - but these come immediately to
mind)
I see a snowball effect here...
Basically, without "killer apps" that are well known to more
than the HP3000 community, the 3000 will start to decline
after the Year 2000 hits and passes, and steadily decline
after that milepost has passed...due to the lack of
applications. (IBM is exploiting the hell out of this now,
by the way --- one look at their literature will show this
point blank).
So --- what does everyone think about this? More
importantly, what does HP think about this? If we are
passionate to "save the platform" and to ensure that it
continues for many years to come, we need to be able to show
"new business prospects" as well as those "on the fence"
(and there ARE HP3000 users that are on the fence, and they
can be saved) - that HP is serious about the HP3000, and
that they will work with the vendors to do whatever
necessary, to get the applications ported or written, so
that these "customers" can concentrate on their business.
I wish all, a healthy, prosperous and wonderful New Year.
Best Regards,
Joe
Joe Geiser - CSI Business Solutions, LLC
** Your Client-Server and Internetworking Specialists
140 Bristol-Oxford Valley Road, Suite 102
Langhorne, PA 19047-3083, USA
Phone: +1 215.945.8100 Fax: +1 215.943-8408
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