Conference ulysse::rdb_vms_competition

771.0. "HP angers DB/4GL Customers" by CIMNET::BOURDEAU (Rich Bourdeau CIM Product Marketing) Tue Oct 23 1990 21:25

     HP angers users over abandoning Transact 4GL and unbundling of 
     TurboImage as part of MPE...


Datamation 
October 1, 1990
Page 17

                       HP Users Battle over 4GL

   BOSTON -  What a difference a year makes.  A year ago Hewlett-Packard Co.
   told its users about a series of upgrades it planned for Transact, the 
   company's fourth-generation language for it's mainstream TurboImage 
   database management system.  Hewlett-Packard proposed new report writers 
   and screen generators, a new repository and intended to give Transact the 
   ability to extract data from the company's relational DBMS, Allbase.  At 
   this years user group meeting in August, however, HP dropped a bombshell 
   on long-time Transact users by announcing that not only was it scrapping 
   plans for the enhancements but it was now considering Transact to be a 
   mature product.  That means cuts to the staff available for fixing bugs 
   and no significant upgrades.  Instead, HP officials said, as part of the 
   company's  commitment to open systems, it will focus on porting 
   third-party 4GL's such as Focus, Ingres, Powerhouse, and Speedware to its 
   mini environment.  Needless to say, long-time Transact users saw red.  
   They accused HP management of abandoning its commitments.  And they asked 
   why they should invest their trust and their dollars in new HP products 
   such as  New Wave Office in light of the company's willingness to change 
   its product course abruptly.  Joining the Transact faction were other 
   disgruntled HP users unhappy with the company's recent decision to 
   unbundle TurboImage from HP 3000 system software.  By the end of the user
   meeting, HP officials were promising to compile a list of Transact 
   Upgrades that users considered critical and to discuss which could be done.
   Transact users, meanwhile, vowed to seek support from their top management 
   and said that they would consider writing a letter to HP chairman John 
   Young. So this one might not be over yet.