I get it. scan.l converts '!=' to '<>':
    644                     /* Convert "!=" operator to "<>" for 
compatibility */
    645                     if (strcmp(yytext, "!=") == 0)
    646                         yylval.str = pstrdup("<>");
    647                     else
    648                         yylval.str = pstrdup(yytext);
""Joshua D. Drake"" <jd(at)commandprompt(dot)com>
>
> Well yes it will work if you add a space, but technically the problem is 
> the query should be written like this:
>
> 1 <>-1 or 1 <> -1
>
> Joshua D. Drake