Well to tell you an experience we are having about this very subject. Our
product is coded for HP-UX and the client has a IBM AIX shop. They did not
want to have to bring in expertice for the new platform and thus asked us if
our product was available on the AIX platform. We are in the process of
testing and bringing the code over.
The above scenario is one of the reasons why a need to know would be good,
there may be more. But to support your thesis, is the product is good, they
(the client) will buy the machine. With prices as they are the hardware is
probably the least expense for a 5 year cost analysis. And with the great
machine as the HP3000 with ability to co-exist within many differenct IT
environments no problem.

James

> -----Original Message-----
> From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Stigers, Greg [And]
> Sent: Friday, May 07, 1999 12:19 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Platform independence; was Telesales system
>
>
> X-no-Archive:yes
> A conversation that I have been having lately, while defending the 3000
> around here, is, do you really care what box the application runs
> on (you in
> this context being any given business), so long as it meets the business
> need? If it has the features you need, can grow to meet projected need, is
> available when needed, performs well with good or better than
> good response
> time, and costs no more or costs less than other products, do you
> care if it
> is coal-fired and steam-powered, so long as it is doing the job?
>
> I may be abusing Wirt's intentions when he wrote about medical offices who
> want to do no more administration than rotating backup tapes once
> a day, but
> can management leave it to us to make technical decisions to support their
> business decisions? The only thing I know about the engine in my 'commuter
> car' is that it runs, it has a maintenance schedule that I obey without
> question, and that it gets about thirty miles to the gallon. I
> would rather
> that others not care that we use a 3000, than for them to ask why, and
> respond with ill-informed skepticism when I explain. I would prefer the
> glory of a brilliant reputation for technical wizardry, but at the moment,
> would settle for being left alone to do my job (which is my play
> on words in
> the subject).
>
> Well. It felt good to get that off my chest.
>
<snip>