Following the price cuts it announced earlier this month, Hewlett-Packard Co is continuing its assault on the DEC marketplace with a programme designed to encourage DEC users and independent software vendors to convert their applications to run on the HP9000 Series 800 family of Precision Architecture RISC Unix machines. The programme, as reported briefly (CI No 1,091) centres around a set of migration tools called Port/VX, which reduces the manpower needed to run VMS-based Fortran programs under HP/UX. Along with the tools, Hewlett offers up to three months’ free use of any of the four Series 800 models – the 825, 835, 850 and 855, one week of consulting and training services, and financing at industry leading rates for the purchase or lease of a Hewlett system. The service is aimed at providing a low-cost, low-risk conversion path from DEC’s proprietary VMS system to HP9000 Unix, which adheres to AT&T’s System V.2 Interface Definition. The programme is also available through third party suppliers and other outlets – only in the US at present, but expected to be available in Europe in the future. The complete tools, training and cosultancy package costs $10,000 for one week, but the software tools can also be bought without the training and consulting element, priced at $2,000.
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