HP Multi-Programming Executive
| Company type | Proprietary software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder | Hewlett-Packard |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Fate | Discontinued |
| Products | Operating system for HP 3000 series |
| Parent | Hewlett-Packard |
MPE (Multi-Programming Executive) was a real-time operating system tailored for business applications on mainframe computers, created by Hewlett-Packard specifically for their HP 3000 line. Originally intended for mini-mainframe environments, the most advanced HP 3000 models eventually accommodated as many as 12 CPUs and supported upwards of 2000 simultaneous users.
Description
The HP 3000 series runs MPE/iX, which first operated on HP’s proprietary 16-bit stack-based CISC CPUs before transitioning to PA-RISC processors; this iteration was known as MPE XL.
The initial version of MPE, launched in 1983, was developed using SPL (System Programming Language). Later, MPE XL was mainly authored in Pascal, supplemented by assembly language and some existing SPL code.
In 1992, the operating system was rebranded as MPE/iX to denote enhanced Unix compatibility through POSIX standards. HP declared the cessation of this product line in late 2001, with official support concluding by 2010. Nonetheless, various third-party companies still offer hardware and software assistance.
The last release from HP was MPE/iX version 7.5 in 2002.
Commands
MPE/iX includes support for numerous standard commands and programming languages such as:
- =SHUTDOWN
- BASIC
- CHDIR
- COPY
- DEBUG
- ECHO
- ELSE
- EXIT
- FORTRAN
- HELP
- IF
- PASCAL
- RENAME
- SH (Bourne shell)
- WHILE
External links
- Archived official site
- Allegro Consultants, Inc. – Complimentary HP 3000 utilities and MPE assistance
- Beechglen Development Inc. – Support services for MPE software (archived)
- HP MPE/iX official homepage
- HP MPE/iX Command Reference guide
- openMPE – Organization promoting ongoing access to MPE and IMAGE source code (archived)