>BTW, the radio and MSNBC have been stating this makes Compaq the
     >second biggest computer company in the world.  I guess it displaces
     >HP in that spot. Hum. . .

     [Please note:  All the following information was obtained from      ]
     [publicly accessible documents.  There is NO HP insider information ]
     [here.  This is because it is illegal to provide insider information]
     [but, more relevant than that is the fact that I am so far down the ]
     [totem pole that I have no access to insider information.           ]

     In addition to computers(and services and support), HP has a test and
     measurement group, a medical group, an electronic components group and
     a chemical analysis products group.  As a whole, according to HP's
     1997 Annual Report, these other groups account for about 17% of HP's
     revenue.  So if you multiply 83% times HP's total revenue, you come up
     with the computer portion of the business being about 35.5B.

     I believe all of Compaq's business is considered computer products and
     all of DEC's business is considered computer products, so when you add
     these two together(using whatever relatively recent numbers you can
     find), you get about 37.6B(Compaq 24.6B, DEC ~13B).

     Do these numbers mean anything?  You tell me.  When I was finishing my
     college requirements, one of the stipulations for my passing my Cost
     Accounting class was that I never, ever, ever, come within 100 yards
     of a General Ledger or Balance Sheet.  Since I got this information
     off WWW servers hundreds and thousands of miles away, I think I'm
     still upholding my end of the bargain.


     Jon "Isn't net income the money fisherman get?" Broz
     HP Cleveland

     "Any statements/opinions/etc you see here are mine, not my employer's"