Homesteading users count on contributions
January 26, 2010
For a homesteading 3000 user, the future promises more than they have today. Not from HP, of course. But the contributing community of experienced developers is still working on refreshed resources for 3000s. Free resources, to match the lean budgets of homesteading sites.
Contributed resources take more time to emerge. Development pros and consultants need to feed their paying businesses first before they spend effort on contributed software. That's where OpenMPE has been, up to today. The organization is an alliance of about 10 individuals who set up servers, meet with HP to negotiate better terms for post-2010 services — you get the idea.
What you will also get, sometime this year, is a pair of invent3k servers, one to serve OpenMPE's administrative needs while serving the community. (Client Systems is donating a Series 979-400 for this work.) The other, public server has been discussed and promoted since mid-2009. Matt Perdue of Hill Country Technologies is one of those working contributors. He's setting up these HP 3000s that will bring more to a homesteader's life, and he updated us last week on that project's progress.
Purdue said OpenMPE wants to know how you'd like those contributed programs organized on the public access server.
The Contributed Software Library's programs from the Interex days will live on the public invent3k HP 3000. CSL programs will be downloadable from this 989-650, Purdue said, "but the exact format needs to be determined. Presently the years 1988, 1990, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 are available as store to disk files (provided by former Interex director and OpenMPE director Paul Edwards) with the entire contents for each year in the store to disc file."
He wants to know if the community wants each individual year of these contributed files available as these store to disc files, or just mount and host the latest year's programs already online as STORE files.
Do we make available each year as the store to disc file it is currently, or do we restore the last year available and have that available for the community? Personally I’m in favor of having each year available as they are stored now, and people can download whichever year they wish, or all of them if they like, as it gives the user the ability to obtain earlier versions of CSL software if they have a need.
Invent3k will serve up these files (Purdue said last fall that invent3k.openmpe.org would be the access address).
Invent3k is the 989-650 that will take the same role as the invent3k system when it was provided by HP: A development and testing resource for the community. Personal access will remain free; commercial access for development, testing, as a reference point for the OS, etc. will be on a subscription basis to help defray operating costs.
What do you do with a CSL program? Earlier this month, a migration project would have moved a little faster with a copy of the SLS scheduling software, which was included on one of these CSL tapes.
Purdue adds that your inquiries for your accounts on invent3k, personal or commercial, should be sent to [email protected]. You can also give your opinion at that e-mail address on how to organize the CSL on invent3k. We'll keep checking back with Purdue and the group to report when it goes online.