Duane said:

>I would encourage all to read the latest 3k NewsWire interview with
>Harry Sterling regarding the discussions vis-a-vis the IPROF
>proposal of funding additional HP r&d efforts for the HP3k.

Ditto.

I am encouraged to see that HP is willing to pursue options in
this area.  For the moment I will only add that it is important
that any such voluntary "customer participation" in additional
funding of HP 3000 enhancements be as broad-based as
possible.  To make that happen, the minimum financial
threshold needs to be kept reasonably low.

Hmmm......  Interex might have a real opportunity here, to
perhaps extend the current operational model for the various
SIGs;  i.e.:  many SIGs are already employing some version
of the "$100 test", where members get to vote with phantom
dollars on a yearly SIG enhancement ballot.  Maybe there
could be some kind of a two-tiered ballot, where:  Everyone
continues to get to vote with phantom dollars, but in addition
those sites who are willing to put up some of their own money
get to vote a second time with however many real dollars they
want to spend, which would then be forwarded to / through HP.

... Can't pull them up right now, but think a few recent posts
to 3000-L have wondered something of the same.....

The key need here would be to be able to "pool" the resources
from different sites who are interested in the same or at least
similar enhancements.  Seems like having individual sites trying
to deal directly with HP on all "paid" enhancement requests
without any kind of coordination would be inefficient, chaotic,
and difficult to manage.

Whatever might be worked out, I reiterate my call for any kind
of additional customer HP 3000 R&D funding to look as much
like "regular" maintenance money as possible.  Especially for all
levels of Government sites, it is usually *much* easier to get
both approval and actual dollars for something that can at least
semi-reasonably called "on-going maintenance" than for anything
that looks like a new purchase (trust me;  been there, done dat,
for nearly 15 years).

>If you don't subscribe, then I guess this is a <plug> ....

Toggle <plug> dup counter....

>And Ken, yes - I really am going to post those ideas.
>They just have to wait until later this week or the weekend.

Ah, yes, the eternal "faster I run, behinder I get problem"...
Been there, doing dat too....  But consider the alternative to
being employed and busy...       ;-)

Ken