title: What Exactly does the <> operator do in HQL
body: <p>It doesn't say exactly in the docs.  I have seen this refer to not equals in other instances but HQL already has !=</p>
  
  <p>If it does mean not equals how is it different from !=   ?</p>
  
  <p>I'm sorry if this question has been asked before, but I wasn't able to find an exact explanation for it.</p>