HP took early, important steps in the renaissance of the HP 3000 application base here at HP World, but none was more important than announcing a developer's bundle of HP 3000 hardware and software.
The new Series 918DX is the smallest HP 3000, an 8-user license system outfitted with much of the software needed to create new applications for MPE/iX. HP told attendees at the conference the system is priced beginning at $7,000. The division will be ready to take orders for the product in November.
The hardware is a Series 918/LX with 64 Mb memory, a 4-Gb low-profile fixed disk drive, 4-Gb DDS DAT drive, integrated 802.3 LAN, single-ended SCSI 2 peripheral interfaces, a 600VA UPS and a system console.
HP is including all of its software in the bundle, such as its C, COBOL, FORTRAN, BASIC and Pascal compilers as well as products like its XDB symbolic debugger, architected interfaces, Posix Developers Kit, ARPA Services and documentation on CD as well as Workload Manager, Glance Plus, and TurboStore, Allbase/SQL and IMAGE/SQL databases.
HP will also be offering a 4-user license for the bundle, according to Jeff Vance of the HP 3000 division (CSY), a lab engineer who was key to getting the package approved. "We have priced this 918 at what the 4-user license price will be," Vance explained. "This should help get lower software pricing from other vendors."
CSY is leaving nothing to chance in stocking the station with software. The division has negotiated agreements with many of the 3000 market's leading developer solution suppliers to include software for free in the bundle. HP means to populate the 3000 developer's toolbox with key tools right out of the starting gate.
HP 3000 general manager Harry Sterling broke the news to an excited audience for his plenary speech here at the show, identifying Adager, AICS, Bradmark, Cognos, Robelle, Speedware and Vesoft as solution providers who have already agreed to include their tools either free or at a token cost in the Software Developer's Bundle.
"An extraordinary renaissance is taking place around the HP 3000," Sterling told the HP World crowd. "This a tremendous offer by these vendors, and we thank them for their cooperation. Our message is strong and clear: We want new applications to be developed and ported to the HP 3000."
Robelle is providing both Qedit and Suprtool as part of the bundle; Adager's Model Two database tool, including Year 2000 utilities, is available for $450; AICS is selling QueryCalc for $1, plus a commitment to take $500 of training within the first year. Bradmark is offering its DBGeneral for Allbase and IMAGE tools, as well as its Superdex indexing utility for TurboIMAGE databases, for free. Cognos is including the Axiant Developer's Workbench, an NT/Windows 95 tool that generates Powerhouse code. Speedware is bundling 2-user licenses of its new Visual Speedware workbench as well as its Autobahn product for developing Web-enabled applications on HP 3000s. Vesoft is including its MPEX tool in the bundle.
Sterling said the package was designed to draw out development efforts from sources with high interest in the HP 3000 market. "You guys have been telling us this for two years," Sterling added in an interview after the announcement. "I say it's time we try it, and see what happens."
"It was like Christmas in August," said Frank Kelly, co-chair of the COBOL Special Interest Group after the announcement.
"This has been one of the things that's been a hot button for the SIGSOFTVEND group for a number of years," said Birket Foster, SIG chairman. "HP has come forward and done the right thing. We expect this will be a very good developer platform and the right tools will show up for it."
Sterling extended an invitation in his speech to other HP 3000 development tool suppliers who want to be included in the 918DX bundle. Two other suppliers were negotiating with CSY at presstime to have their products included in the 918DX bundle. HP brought together the package and the pricing on an extraordinary schedule. The third party solution suppliers were contacted only a week before HP World and had to commit to being part of the bundle on the Friday before the conference began.
One important issue remains to be resolved in the offer. Software support costs for HP's products remain at their current price schedule for the bundle, and the expense of paying support for HP's compilers, database and operating system can be a burden on start-up firms. Support for the compilers and Glance Plus under this bundle will be free, but the system will be priced at normal support pricing for an 8-user IMAGE and Allbase configuration. HP is working on lowering that support price to what a 4-user license would cost -- a new price point for HP 3000s -- so by October 1 HP expects to have even better news.
The HP 3000 division is still negotiating with the Worldwide Customer Support Organization to get more discount on the support pricing available through the HP Software Providers Program (SPP, formerly known as the PA-RISC Developers Program).
But the collection of low-cost hardware and a full toolbox of development tools was the buzz among both customers and solution providers at the show. HP even has included a finance option for application developers who want the 918DX, arranged through HP's finance division. A lease of $200 a month will get the Developer's Bundle into action. For developers who can't qualify for even that lease arrangement, CSY is prepared to "qualify you ourselves for the lease," according to Vance.
HP made it clear that the 918DX isn't a customer product, but one that will be available only to companies registered as SPP members with HP. SPP membership costs $600 a year. More information about SPP is available at www.hp.com/wsg/p rograms/partnership/partsoft.html
Steve Little, CSY Strategic Alliances Manager, must approve all of the Developer's Bundle shipments. In a letter to software developers Little said, "We hope you will see that this is a clear signal we are far from dead. We are demonstrating our will to co-exist and contribute in a world heavily investing in Unix and NT."
Interested developers must contact Little at steven_little@hp.com to provide him a brief description of what kind of MPE development they do or are planning. "It is really pretty simple and we intend to keep it informal," Vance said.
HP admitted that it has left the toughest issue for last -- arranging the continuing discounts for software support fees. However, CSY officials seemed confident that with appropriate interest from the developer community, some ongoing waiver of support fees for the HP products could be arranged.
In its first incarnation the new bundle doesn't provide help to developers who are already established as HP Channel Partners. These companies still qualify for a 52 percent discount on hardware and software from HP. Some reports at presstime indicated that CSY was working on a way to extend the 918DX pricing to these application providers.