Hi David--

    I received the following from Carolyn in response to a query to
teampli{at}vnet.ibm.com with regard to the announcement of a "new" PL/I
"Enterprise Edition" v 2.1:

  "VA PL/I V2.1 is the latest supported release.  The "enterprise"
   edition is the only one available now, and it replaces both of the
   older editions, which includes standard.  CSDs will only be provided
   for V2.1

  "There is a charge for upgrading. I don't know what it is, but I
   believe the information can be found in the announcement letter.  You
   can get to the announcement letter via the PL/I home page at
   http://www.software.ibm.com/ad/pli .  Yup -- no free upgrades.
   Sorry!" 

    Her last remark is in answer to my query as to whether (probably
not!) the fact that the invoice date on my "standard" VA PL/I v 2.0 is
July 7, 1998 would entitle me to a free update.

    Here are some excerpts from the announcement letter.  Prices are for
the US product, only, if purchased from IBM:

VisualAge PL/I             04L6564          $2,999
 Enterprise V2.1
 Program Package
 CD-ROM

VisualAge PL/I             04L6567             499
 Enterprise V2.1
 Upgrade from
 Professional V2.0
 Program Package
 CD-ROM

VisualAge PL/I             04L6566           1,249
 Enterprise V2.1
 Upgrade from
 Standard V2.0
 Program Package
 CD-ROM

    Now, the announcement was this past April, and I bought my upgrade
PL/I Standard edition v 2.0 in July for $575.  I guess it is a good
thing that the vendor (Indelible Blue) didn't know that it was selling
me an obsolete product :-).  None of the literature I have seen on the
new "Enterprise" PL/I compiler indicates that it contains any capability
that I would possibly want that I don't have.

    So, economics indicates that I am stuck at v 2.0 level.  I hope that
I don't run into another one of the (always present in any compiler)
remaining bugs, because even if I report it (as I did the last one I
found), the CSD correcting it will cost me $1,249 :-(.

    It seems that IBM just doesn't want us amateurs to play with PL/I.
However, perhaps your prediction of a few months ago will come true: the
revenge of the developers will force IBM to reissue the "Personal
Edition" one of these days.  I hope I live that long!

    Regards,

        --Murray

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 * MR/2 2.25 #120 * Which direction is forward?

--- Maximus/2 2.02