Let me see if I understand the bottom line of this.  A mail list has been
set up and a clearing house for migration efforts.  This is what I said
would be about all they could do, and it appears I was right (if I'm
understanding this).

Now we have a mail list, and we have some clearing houses of information
for porting, I know HP has one (they've contacted me already), and I'm sure
some of the people on here will enhance their lists like the one that
Adager and Triolet have.  So again to summarize, there is a mail list that
is available, and you don't have to be a member to use it.  So I guess I'm
missing the point of what the Interex membership being a win-win is all about.

Shawn

At 04:44 PM 12/10/2001, Denys Beauchemin wrote:
>Gentle HP 3000 listserver subscribers and users,
>
>At the end of November, I promised you Interex would have a more complete
>response for you regarding the recent announcement about the demise of the
>HP e3000.  I told you then I would have more to say about it, after the
>board meeting which took place November 29-December 1.
>
>Well, now is the time.
>
>I am going to share thoughts and things with you and I would appreciate if
>you read the whole thing and pondered it some before flooding the list with
>comments.  I will try to be as complete as possible.
>
>I learned of the decision to terminate the HP e3000 some weeks before the
>announcement.  I had to sign some papers and fax them back before receiving
>the phone call.  I spoke with Dave Wilde and as Dave and I are old friends,
>the discussion was a bit awkward at first.  Imagine, Dave was calling me to
>tell me my favorite platform, something that had been part of my life sine
>1977, was coming to an end.
>
>All the comments I have since seen in the press and on this list, went
>through my mind.  But they did not come out of my mouth.  Why?  Simple, when
>you know, when you realize a decision is final and there is nothing you can
>do about it, why shoot the messenger?  Dave wasn't calling me to ask me what
>I thought about making such a decision, he was calling me to inform me the
>decision was made and that was that.
>
>I was shocked, but not surprised.  I had somehow expected it for a long
>time, but when it happens, it is still a shock.  I had a long conversation
>with Dave that day.  It was not one of my more joyous moments, but one has
>to be realistic about it.  During the conversation, I mentioned to Dave the
>possibility of Interex being the host site for Open Source MPE.  I told him
>Interex had to look out for their members.  I basically offered him the
>services of Interex to help the users in this time of turmoil.  After all, a
>sizable portion of our members is composed of HP e3000 users, a very sizable
>portion.
>
>While waiting for the official announcement, I talked to no one about this
>decision though I read with interest the various rumors and responses to
>said rumors on this and other lists.  I waited and hoped beyond hope HP
>would change their mind and simply say to me:  "Surprise, just kidding."  No
>matter how much I looked at the calendar, it was still late October or early
>November not April 1.  It was like being in a daze.
>
>The announcement came as expected on November 14 and surprised virtually no
>one as they rumors were rampant by then.  I was at Comdex and not really in
>a position to get involved in the discussions.  At any rate, I had had a few
>weeks to absorb the shock by that time; I wanted to hear what other people
>had to say.
>
>As we got closer to the end of November, whilst talking with Winston about
>another issue, it dawned on me to invite Winston to the upcoming board of
>directors meeting.  I had already gotten the item on the agenda, we simply
>shuffled it a bit and expanded it.  Winston was gracious enough to accept
>the invitation and I flew to San Jose for the meeting on 29 November.
>
>Before I get into the meeting and the aftermath, let me just say a few more
>things.  We knew the decision was irrevocable.  There was no way CSY would
>change their mind.  So trying to convince Winston to do so would be a waste
>of time and energy and "political capital."  Instead, we the board, decided
>to focus on what would be best for our users, short of getting a reprieve
>for MPE.  During the prior 2 weeks, Interex had done a survey to find out
>the extent of the problems in the membership.  What became apparent with the
>survey are two things:  1- the majority of sites is going to migrate; 2-
>their main concern is the lack of information or direction for this
>migration.
>
>When Winston showed up, he recapped the whole process for the benefit of
>everyone in the room.  He answered virtually all questions refusing only to
>talk about certain exact numbers and other company-confidential stuff..  As
>far as I am concerned if I have ever seen a man explain truthfully the
>driving forces and the logic behind a most painful decision, this was the
>occasion.  Winston cares deeply for his customers.  He cares for them so
>much that he had no choice but to end the HP e3000 at this time.  If you
>listen to Winston explain it, I mean really listen and take his comments
>prima facie, at face value, without trying to ascribe ulterior motives to
>them, you will understand why he did what he did when he did it.  And whilst
>you may not like the decision, you will agree with it.
>
>My memory and my prose cannot hope to do justice to Winston's explanation.
>Suffice it to say it is my hope a real interview with Winston will be
>published and read and understood.  In the meantime, I state here and now
>that I believe Winston and I believe he has made the right decision.  I
>don't like it one bit, but for the customers, I now know it is the correct
>one.
>
>  So, the decision is the correct one and it is irrevocable.  What is left
>for us to do?
>
>Well, the current users need to find out what the future holds.  Many need a
>direction for the future.  What do they do with their MPE systems?  What
>will they replace them with?  What is out there to do the work?  How can
>they migrate from where they are now to where they should be in the future?
>What are the options?  What works?  What doesn't work?  What are other
>people, other shops doing?
>
>These are all questions in need of answers. In a first step, Interex is
>working with HP-CSY and anybody else who wants to participate, to provide
>answers to these and other questions.
>
>As such, the board of directors of Interex has created a task force, led by
>yours truly, to see to it answers and information is made available to all
>MPE users.  This task force is currently composed of Ed Witkow (past chair
>of Interex), Debbie Lawson-Kirkwood (Interex), Jim Keller (Interex), Dave
>Wilde HP-CSY), Jeff Vance (HP-CSY) and me (in my capacity as an Interex
>Board member).  We have created a new e-mail address: [log in to unmask] to
>be used to receive mail from anyone.  This email address is a conduit where
>you can send you concerns, questions and findings.
>
>Here are the rules for the use of this email address.  All the members of
>the task force will receive each and every message sent to this address.
>There is no guarantee or even expectation of a private reply but this gives
>you an opportunity to voice technical concerns to HP if you elect to follow
>the recommendation and migrate from your HP e3000 environment.  We invite
>anyone who has experiences to report about moving from one application to
>another or one platform to another, to make these experiences known.  We
>will post all these questions and findings for all to see at the Interex
>website.
>
>This conduit is NOT, repeat NOT for griping and voicing opinions about the
>decision.  There are other channels for that, if that is what you want to
>do.  This is also NOT a place to discuss OpenMPE.  Again, there are other
>channels for that avenue, but please note that Interex supports those
>initiatives.  Interex has already started talking with HP about this issue
>and wants to include and cover the various approaches already under
>discussion and any future ones.  There will be a follow up on that specific
>issue.
>We invite all the vendors to send us migration information as well.  We aim
>to create a one-stop shop for all migration information.  BTW, whilst it is
>desirable that your migration plans include HP platforms as the platform of
>choice, this is NOT a requirement.  If you have decided to migrate to an
>application running on AS/400 for example, please send that along.  Interex
>is not dedicated primarily to HP, but rather to its members and users,
>though we would rather you stayed in the HP world.
>
>Currently this conduit is open to all MPE users around the world, not just
>Interex members.  The findings will be for everyone, but there may be more
>in-depth information for the members.  I am not saying that is the case, I
>am merely stating this may eventuate.
>
>At the beginning we will update the web page and report on the findings once
>a month.  After a while, this may change.  This whole process is a work in
>progress and we will make any adjustment necessary.  Everyone is welcome to
>send suggestions about the task force itself, how it should operate, what
>other goals it may have, what areas it needs to look at, etc.
>
>This message constitutes the kick-off for this task force.  The project is
>most certainly a multi-year affair with no defined end date, but as with all
>other users group activities it does depend on you.  If no one uses this
>channel, this will be a short-lived task force.  So to make this task force
>work, you have to get involved, you have to start feeding us information.
>There is no way the task force will be successful or even useful if no one
>participates.  It's all up to you the users and members.  Interex will
>facilitate the dissemination of the information, as is the wont of a users
>group. We will adjust and make changes as required as we boldly go forward
>into the wilderness.
>Interex is also investigating what other roles it needs to play in this area
>and further suggestions are welcome.
>
>I will close with these thoughts.
>
>There are 5 million companies in the US alone that use computers in one way
>or another to run the business.  Sadly, the vast majority does this without
>an HP e3000, but it does it anyway.
>
>This (forced) migration should be regarded as an opportunity to learn new
>things and face new challenges and believe me, there will be challenges.
>CSY and Interex are working to help you face these challenges with as much
>information as possible.  In order to support this task force, Interex needs
>to depend on its members.  If you are a member, we trust this is what you
>would want Interex to do and will continue your support.  If you are not a
>member;  www.interex.org  or 1-800-INTEREX.  Now, more than ever.
>
>Finally, in a recent message to some of my geeky friends, I wrote the
>following, which I repeat (corrected) here:  "... I intend to keep an HP3000
>with me forever.  I intend to get to 2028 and watch it go back to Jan 1,
>2027 at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2027, forever caught in a
>time warp.  At that time, my grandchildren, if I have any, will wonder about
>that antiquated piece of equipment and will ask questions.  I, being a spry
>young man by then in his mid-seventies, will talk to them about the dawn of
>computing and the legend that was the HP 3000, now long gone but not quite
>forgotten..."
>
>
>Kind regards,
>
>Denys Beauchemin
>Member of the Interex Board or Directors
>
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Regards,

Shawn Gordon
President
theKompany.com
www.thekompany.com
949-713-3276

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