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January 2004OpenMPE director agitates for HP action — An OpenMPE board member has published a letter urging HP to “free MPE” or face a boycott of its products by customers. HP issued a reply to that Ken Sletten letter — a statement from HP’s 3000 business manager Dave Wilde saying the vendor is still working on helping its customers who must remain on the platform. Storage upgrades fuel homestead business futures — Now that HP is no longer selling the server, the moving parts in an HP 3000 make up the best opportunity to improve the systems. Of the thousands of servers that still form the backbone of businesses, many will access disk drives every day that are nearing an end of life. HP has advised its customers the end of the system’s life is near — but consultants say that end of life claim is an accurate evaluation about the average HP 3000’s storage devices. Transact sites eye new future — They represent the best of HP’s intentions for business computing. But the sites still using applications written in HP’s Transact language have a firm deadline for the end of their support. By this year’s second quarter they will have a way of moving onto a language with a longer support lifespan. Factory rides ACUCOBOL-GT onto Windows — Once HP made it clear that support for an A-Class 3000 in Mexico would become costly and risky, a manufacturing site moved its programs to a new COBOL, then to Windows.
ROC Software expanded
its datacenter choices for 3000 alternatives
Online Extra No. 94 HP opens
license org for intellectual property February 2004OpenMPE shuffles its leadership deck — One year after HP announced an intent to create new licenses for MPE, and two years after OpenMPE was founded, the volunteer organization has been rearranging chairs among directors. Some homesteading sites despair of these efforts being like the movement of Titanic deck chairs. Others see a titanic effort still in front of the group, one that HP might still be able to help. ViaNova moves MPE service, apps off hardware — Some HP 3000 sites are stepping into a new environment with their old boots — moving MPE applications through a rapid migration process that can use Unix, Linux or Windows servers to drive MPE application computing. Homesteaders carry on during post-sales era — HP has stopped selling the 3000, but that doesn’t mean the server isn’t generating commerce anymore. Customers who intend to stay on the platform beyond HP’s support deadline are still sparking sales and support revenue, even after the system’s vendor has left the market. Dancing with Big Blue Wolves, by Alan Yeo — A European correspondent reports on IBM’s latest efforts to win HP 3000 customers over to the iSeries pack, starting with the independent software vendors in Europe
Ecometry
released the prelude to its cut-away from 3000 apps
Online Extra No. 95 HP to
extend support for MPE/iX version March 2004HP extends its support for MPE/iX 6.5 — HP has changed its mind about how long it will support a large group of its HP 3000 customers. HP wouldn’t promise its support plans would be the last HP roadmap item to shift, either — but the company doesn’t want its 3000 customers to think the changes mean an HP change of heart about the platform. Interface package extends 3000 applications’ reach — Finding new software that can remake HP 3000 applications isn’t difficult in the transition era. What’s become rare is the new program that lets developers improve apps on MPE/iX, while carrying those enhancements to other environments, too. A new software product proposes to let 3000 shops do such transformations. SIB solicits better future for MPE/iX — HP has been encouraging 3000 customers to ask for enhancements to the computer’s operating system, so the 2004 version of the Systems Improvement Ballot has appeared online this month. The ballot includes a section HP didn’t request, though: a place to vote for improvements to HP’s strategy regarding the computer it has stopped selling. Ecometry steps to next platform — Features that won’t be in the HP 3000 version of the Web commerce program have already emerged for Ecometry sites — while those sites look for faster HP 3000s before migrating
Phoenix will still
deliver 3000s from HP to customer sites
Online Extra No. 96 Looking
for truth about used 3000 prices April 2004OpenMPE gathers votes, challenge — The independent group brought on new board members and faced and old effort to woo help from HP. The vendor had promised to release a roadmap of its timetable to help homesteading customers, a communiqué HP first said it would deliver by the end of January, and then in February. The tardy HP response was a key issue in an election where every candidate won. Five of the six volunteers running for board positions were elected. After the vote, the board named the sixth candidate to a just-vacated post when another director resigned. Improvement ballot shows customers thinking big — HP 3000 users have told HP’s 3000 management they want a decision this year about the future of their computer’s operating system source code. But the winning item in the latest Systems Improvement Ballot (SIB) may become another request that HP refuses to honor. HP sues to recover MPE fees — The HP 3000 will make more than $1 million for HP this year, even though the company is walking away from the business. The company agreed to settle for $1.4 million in lost licensing revenues related to 194 systems sold by Hardware House, in an echo from the civil and criminal trial actions started five years ago this spring.CAMUS meeting shows MANMAN strategies, by Terry Floyd — ERP users at regional CAMUS meetings hear about MANMAN’s outlook from a user due to migrate, as well as the future of the 3000 and options for transition.
HP opened
up its wallet to OpenMPE
Online Extra No. 97 HP hardware, not
software, should make conversions May 2004HP sets summertime conversion update — When HP reported that it will re-consider the conversion of HP 9000 systems to HP 3000s, with an update during June, some 3000 customers were encouraged. But while migrations did not turn around on HP’s news to the homesteading and OpenMPE community, the prospect cheered the majority of sites without firm transition plans Symposiums scale
for new platforms — Spring conferences from Interex showed
that size still matters. Content beyond 3000 issues drew no bigger
crowds, but those on hand could learn how to size replacement
systems Speedware spruces up product portfolio — SpeedWeb, along with the flagship development tool from Speedware, gets enhancements to help train. 
IBM made
changes to try to attract more to the iSeries
Online Extra No. 98 HP fires all
cylinders in quarter, but promises TSG cuts June 2004HP offers updates on MPE improvements — When a talking dog drops a few lines of a Shakespearean sonnet, few would quibble about the omission. 3000 customers were taking the same view of HP’s response to the tactical items on this year’s HP 3000 Systems Improvement Ballot (SIB). Like the talking dog, the concept of HP continuing to enhance a server it no longer sells seemed a miracle more important than which enhancements are left out. Support alternatives ramp up offerings — HP predicted the 3000’s ecosystem would enjoy a revival after the vendor announced it was leaving the market. But one of the new opportunities deducts HP from customer support IBM rebrands to boost 3000 alternative — The iSeries got a new name and the ability to run Unix apps as IBM opened midrange doors to virtual OS NewsWire Briefs Major shareware
creator leaves HP for the open market
HP and OpenMPE
agree on a new disclosure pact
Online Extra No. 99 MPE’s
future growth may not lag much behind HP-UX July 2004HP opens the door to 9000-to-3000 conversions — Five years after it prosecuted hardware brokers for illegally changing used HP 9000 systems to HP 3000s, HP has agreed to do the same thing so it can create fresh servers that can boot up with MPE/iX instead of HP-UX. For a limited set of customers, HP will turn Unix-booting servers into MPE-capable systems. PowerPatch packages
MPE’s latest updates — The second of HP’s
collection of enhancements and patches for the latest version of
MPE/iX rolls out this month, offering better tape and HA storage for
users of 7.5 ROC gives Maestro
new notes for Open Systems — Seasoned MPE scheduler breaks
out into Open Systems version to manage multiple platforms
Community
sponsors gave HP World attendees a 3000 stronghold
Online Extra No. 100 HP World
3000 stronghold’s site has shifted August 2004HP World stands at brink of change — Interex, the HP user group built on a mission of advocacy, is advocating attendance of the HP 3000 community this month at the group’s signature, sustaining event. But this year’s HP World will mark the last soiree where the systems vendor and its oldest user group will dance cheek to cheek. Migration reports start to emerge — Years after HP said it would wash the 3000 out of its hair, vendors report the start of successful suds Perl moves PDF files onto 3000 — Homesteader turns to open source language and low cost software to eliminate paper reports at school district Business law sparks MPE software revival — Sarbanes-Oxley compliance deadlines arrive soon, so Bradmark ramps up sales of its DBAudit
Uh-oh: HP’s
server business skidded this summer
Online Extra No. 101 HP
patches move slowly through test September 2004OpenMPE aims at crucial quarter — OpenMPE board members opened up a showdown quarter at the organization’s HP World meeting, telling several dozen attendees in Chicago the group needs to raise $1.55 million in purchase orders by Nov. 30 to be ready to work in 2005. Customers scour HP World for 3000 updates — HP arrived with talk of ramping down 3000 operations, albeit slowly. Fewer 3000 managers made the trip to HP World. So did customers and 3000 suppliers on the expo floor. Chicago’s Interex show delivered more migration news than homestead help. Migration panel speaks to curious users — At one of the better-attended HP World sessions, HP gave a forum to managers who’d completed migrations. HP updates storage projects in Chicago, by Steve Hammond — HP is investigating a new device driver project, supporting bigger disks, and offering HA solutions for MPE
Speedware is
buying 3000 partners, starting with eXegeSys
Online Extra No. 102 OpenMPE
lays out its budget, seeks funding October 2004Itanium fails to drive 3000 migrations — Fighting for commodity status, the Itanium architecture is supposed to be winning with HP’s enterprise customers who are moving to HP-UX, like 3000 shops. But as HP dropped its Itanium workstations, few sites have plans to use Itanium-based servers to replace their HP 3000s Customers find abundance of migration advice — A well-attended session at HP World delivered detailed field experience on how to migrate off 3000s Storage Engine extends 3000’s IO reach — HP is better staffed for 3000 IO than any other development area. ORBiT Software has partnered with Neartek to serve the same 3000 need: Bring new storage technology into MPE’s grasp COBOL SIG studies its sunset at HP World — The COBOL Special Interest Group met in Chicago to look for a new home for the language’s advocacy, and gave a report on the state of the newest standards
OpenMPE moves
into its ninth inning next month
Online Extra No. 103 MPE
advance might be ported back November 2004After 3 years, 3000 transitions go into play — Three years of worry, waiting and watching have started to produce movement in the HP 3000 customers’ transition. But our news poll conducted on the third anniversary of HP's pullout from the 3000 market shows more than half will use 3000s after 2006, and the target environments are just as likely to be Windows as HP’s Unix systemsConsortium collects
companies for one-stop 3000 solutions — Four veteran MPE
companies have met this month to begin organizing a new consortium of
HP 3000 vendors, aimed at the 3000 customer which HP has left
behind Query makes jump to
HP’s Unix — Eloquence database developer Marxmeier
Software has ported the popular IMAGE database tool for use on
HP-UX
Samba sparked an
HP 3000 security bulletin
Online Extra No. 104 HP puts up
big numbers for Q4 December 2004Emulator project rolls up its sleeves — A company with more than 20 years of experience building emulators has started design of a product to emulate the HP 3000. While this HP 3000 emulator is several years from being sold, Strobe knows from its HP 1000 emulator experience that a long timeframe is common in an emulator marketplace. PowerHouse migration options open to Java — Designed to save development time, the PowerHouse language is starting to endure more products that promise to get HP 3000 customers off of the 4GL in less time. ROC Software CEO Compton dies at 40 — A leading advocate of the HP 3000, whose company counts one of the largest installed 3000 customer bases, leaves behind a family and a growing datacenter vendor as his legacy.
OpenMPE fell short of
its 100-system goal
Online Extra No. 104 3000 group
engineer Vance retakes SIB work |
