Re: Proprietary Systems...

Brad wrote: "The only way you could translate those programs to the AS/400
is
if you took the screen handling and made it calls to a client
server module, and put the screen handling on PCs."

Actually, IBM already has an HP3000 to AS/400 COBOL conversion method.  I
don't remember the precise name of the product but I used it in 1988-89 to
convert a plant maintenance package.  It consists of several programs that
parse the source code and comment out the MPE I/O calls (screen and
database) and add COBOL READs and WRITEs.  The product will also convert HP
schema to DDS.  I don't know if there was a corresponding RPG version or
not but I successfully converted a fair-sized application and installed it
in several "name" companies.

My feeling (from reading the trade news) is that many HP3000 customers feel
like HP "hosed 'em pretty good" and would be reluctant to go to HP-UX
(remember that most of the smaller installations probably have no *NIX
expertise anyway) and IBM already has the ability to convert the COBOL
HP3000 installations at "no additional charge" - wonder if they'll use it.

Steve