It doesn't hurt at all.  In fact, you can reference my SR#: 5003430165
which is about this exact problem.

<KLUDGE ALERT>
I have managed a work-around by using Perl for my CGI script, splitting
the name-value pairs and calling a MPE command file with the values,
having the command file read the values in order and do setvars and
having the program (running in the command file) call HPCIGETVAR for
each value expected.  You must run the program with ';stdin=$null' in
order to get this to work.  MAJOR KLUDGE!!!! , but it works.  Problems:
1. many layers to go through.  2. If your data is too big, the variable
may not handle it.  3. It should work right in the first place and not
need this mess.
</KLUDGE ALERT>

Kevin "Looking at Java now" Newman

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Bixby [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, December 17, 1998 9:56 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: CERR 14
>
> Yalamanchili, Sudha writes:
> >
> >    I have a cgi-program. When I try to run it I get the error CERR
> 14,
> > unable to open stdin. I think there is a problem with the way I I
> > linked.
>
> Maybe, maybe not.
>
> Non-POSIX programs will fail when they try to open an stdin that has
> been
> redirected to a pipe as in the case of a web server CGI environment.
>
> You can test for this problem via the sh.hpbin.sys command line by
> doing:
>
>         echo foo | testprog | cat -
>
> The "echo foo |" redirects stdin to a pipe, and the "| cat -"
> redirects stdout
> to a pipe.  Your program will die if it's not a POSIX program.
>
> I do all of my C programming with gcc which automatically links
> against the
> POSIX libc.  These programs can open redirected stdin OK.
>
> I believe it's possible to use HP C/iX and link against the POSIX
> libc.  This
> may have even been mentioned recently by somebody else on this list
> (Walter
> Murray?).
>
> I've already told my friends inside HP that it would be very desirable
> to fix
> this problem so that non-POSIX languages like Pascal and COBOL could
> be used to
> write web CGIs.  Still, it wouldn't hurt for you to open an HPRC call
> to
> report this problem and request a fix via official channels.
> --
> Mark Bixby                      E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> Coast Community College Dist.   Web: http://www.cccd.edu/~markb/
> District Information Services   1370 Adams Ave, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
> 92626-5429
> Technical Support               Voice: +1 714 438-4647
> "You can tune a file system, but you can't tune a fish." - tunefs(1M)