There have been several posts to this list on the good news about the 918/DX. Now that I've gotten out from under being gone for two weeks just a little bit, I have one more addition to the HP developers software bundle that Jeff Vance included in his original post. Jeff's latest HP software list that I saw was: IMAGE/SQL ALLBASE/SQL C COBOL FORTRAN BASIC PASCAL XDB - Symbolic debugger GLANCE When I and the other usual suspects from SIGRAPID saw the above preliminary list at HP World, we of course immediately noticed one very important omission: The compiler for the best language with which to do IMAGE database I/O on the 3000, a.k.a. TRANSACT/iX with TRANDEBUG/iX.... Sorry, Wirt, but I have to respectfully disagree with your long-ago post: BASIC may be good, but NM TRANSACT/iX is better..... And if HP implements "Open Transact" & full Image B-tree support as I am guessing they will (both are now under active investigation by the RAPID Lab, per HP in Chicago), it will be better still. :-) Anyway, for those that may have missed it here is the ala Paul Harvey "rest of the story" on Transact/iX for the 918/DX: (1) After Harry Sterling's very encouraging plenary session on the HP 3000 in Chicago, at Dave Snow's follow-on "more details" session I asked if the 918/DX would come with ALL current HP Native Mode (NM) compilers. HP answer was yes, it would. TRANSACT/iX is very definitely a current NM compiler. Yea !! (2) With all the good news about the 3000 at HP World, I figured that the omission of Transact/iX was obviously just an innocent oversight by HP; after all, the software list *was* preliminary. :-) .. So we also brought this innocent oversight to the attention of the Roseville - SSG representatives who attended SIGRAPID (the meeting was well-attended by HP). SSG confirmed that TRANSACT/iX ** WILL BE ** included in the 918/DX HP developer's software Bundle. Yea !! again. (3) One other RAPID detail that we do not have an answer on yet: At the SIGRAPID - Chicago meeting I think it was Nick... or was it Cecile... anyway, it wasn't me.... that asked the next good question: What about DICTIONARY/3000 for the 918/DX ?? HP said they would have to check on that one; hopefully we will have more info soon (& hopefully the answer will again be "yes"). TRANSACT/iX can of course perform all functions without compile- time access to DICTIONARY/3000.... But it's sure a lot better and cleaner if DICTIONARY is there; especially for large systems with many programs. BTW, I know there are also some COBOL users out there who make fairly extensive use of DICTIONARY/3000. If there are any COBOL developer's who would like to see DICTIONARY on the 918/DX, I urge y'all to make your wishes known to HP... Hello, Ms. Jeanette & Co., a.k.a. SIGCOBOL ?? :-) ADDENDUM: Major kudos to both HP and all the third- party software developers who will be making their products available on the 918/DX at little or no cost.... Like my PIN (not button) says: "MPE FOREVER"... oops... should that have been preceded by a <gloat alert> ??.... Nawww.... Ken Sletten