Hello Friends:
(Forgive the bandwidth, but we think in this case we deserve it.)
When Charles Finley outlined all of the good news that have happened to the
3000, it took us at the NewsWire down memory lane. Some aren't exactly
news:
"I have noticed increased enthusiasm about the product within the last year."
Only within the last year? We looked closely and noticed it blooming in the
spring of 1995, when despite the conventional wisdom we found ample support
for the 3000 among its customers as well as people inside CSY. That's why
we started our publication that long ago entirely devoted to the 3000.
Despite what we heard from HP's corporate and strategic planners -- all
long since departed, with exception of the CEO, from the 3000's divisional
GM up to the czar of its computer business -- we heard from customers happy
to maintain investment in something that wasn't Unix. Since the press
wasn't paying much attention, we considered that an opportunity.
We like NewsWire subscriber Tim Ericson's idea of a Renaissance 3000
concept. We have liked it for nearly three years. Before Windows 95 came
out, we arrived in Toronto with a press release to announce our newsletter
that included this quote:
"The HP 3000 is in a renaissance, as companies begin to count on the value
of reliability."
Now there's nothing like fair weather to bring out the sunbathers. When
counting friends, however, it's more important to have a few who know how
to button up the slickers and make a dry and comfy state of mind while
squalls darken the skies. First came the Unix storm, now the NT showers.
We'll wait them all out, thank you.
Finley said that "Some of us, Alfredo Rego, Steve Cooper, Gavin Scott, Rene
Woc included, believe that we should do something to show support for the
HP 3000 at HP World in San Diego."
Certainly everyone in that sentence should be included among the 3000's
best friends. They all own well-worn slickers. We'd like to hear from them
on what might be done at HP World. But I suspect every one of them will
subscribe to the theory that continued sales of HP 3000s -- especially to
customers new to HP -- will form the most lasting impression. CSY officials
tell me repeatedly that the good things happening to the 3000 are taking
place because of increased sales. This renaissance was revenue-driven.
Given the profitability of the 3000 line, orders this year will have an
especially timely impact on HP Corporate, too, where profits are slipping
of late.
That means you don't have to go to HP World and wear a shirt to make a
statement -- or impress any editor into covering your favorite computer.
You can participate in the renaissance from the chair you're reading this
in. Just order an upgrade before July 31 and save some money. If you're
coming to HP World, great, wear a shirt. But this renaissance won't be
fueled for the long run by T-shirts or "significant portions" of
publications. Those are weather. Climate is an average, what you live with
over many seasons. You don't want to confuse weather with climate, like I
wrote in our November 1995 issue:
"The atmosphere in HP environments is in turmoil this year. Fear,
uncertainty and doubt are everywhere, as the winds of change blow
constantly around desktops, networks and servers. But as an HP 3000
customer, you shouldn't confuse foul weather with your fair climate.
Climate is what we accept and live with, because our perception of it comes
from a broader point of view. Nothing in a trade magazine or marketing
sheet can change what's working in your 3000 environment. The only thing
that weather can change is your perception. There are no magic slickers to
waterproof your environment. It takes work and experience to succeed.
Wearing what's working, instead of the latest resume-building fashion,
isn't hip. But it is responsible computing. Consider the climate the next
time you see foul weather blow around your server."
Ron Seybold, Editor In Chief
The 3000 NewsWire
Independent Information to Maximize Your HP 3000
[log in to unmask] http://www.3000newswire.com/newswire
512.331.0075
|
