Interex announced a competition for the best e-commerce Web site using an HP e3000 as its engine, with winners to be announced at next month’s HP World conference. The contest will have a winner for best deployment using home-grown, self-architected, e-commerce applications, and another for best deployment using purchased e-commerce applications. Winners will receive a special recognition award from HP e3000 division. General Manager Winston Prather during his Wednesday keynote address at HP World. The contest evaluates the volume of e-commerce transactions on the site in general and the percentage of the transactions handled by the e3000, as well as magnitude of e3000 involvement in the total e-commerce solution and the site’s ease of use and navigation. Bonus points will be awarded if a site identifies itself as “Powered by HP e3000.” Sites will be judged by Interex's MPE Forum Executive Committee. Customers can send a URL and contact info to MPEforum@interex.org; Forum Committee members will contact entrants to gather more details.

Along with brand-new elements like Web site contests, the upcoming show includes a more traditional gathering from a new player in the e3000 space. Millware Corp. which plans to offer its free connectivity and interface software for the 3000 by October, is hosting a hospitality suite at the Penthouse Suite of the Clarion Suites, just 200 yards from the conference center. Dave Wiseman of Millware reports that “our hospitality suite is Monday through Wednesday from 5 -10 PM, serving drinks and snacks — it's a place where you can talk MPE as long as you want over a cool beer.” The company will also hold a drawing for two free tickets to visit its 13th Century offices. “We'll fly you to the UK, book you into a C16th hotel across the road from the CXI Norman abbey, and leave you free to see Catherine Parr's wedding dress (Henry VIII’s last wife) at nearby Sudeley Castle,” Wiseman reported. The company will also convert VPlus forms to graphical interfaces while customers wait at the show, so long as the form is “in a simple FAST forms file — just one form in the file — that will run under ENTRY,” Wiseman said. “We can add drop boxes, radio buttons, check boxes, push buttons and all in a few simple minutes.” Files should be on 3.5-inch diskettes, or can be e-mailed in advance to demo@millware.com.