The merger is now a "done deal." How is everyone going to act? Will people
gloat, pine, whine, move, shake, rest on their laurels or work like the
dickens?

HP management has very little room to gloat because:
1. The ruling did not say that they had acted ethically and in good faith.
What the ruling said was that the plaintiff did not meet a very high
standard of evidentiary proof. The case is over but the cloud remains,
especially in this post-Enron era.
2. A proxy vote of this type, management vs. a dissident shareholder, is
almost never close. The argument that non-family members voted
overwhelmingly for the merger is specious. It is equivalent to saying that
one candidate would win if we don't count the other candidates votes. The
families have the right to vote and to belittling their votes is not a valid
line of reasoning.
3. A lot of political capital has been spent. I don't believe there will be
an extended honeymoon. A lot of people want to start seeing results soon.

How will HP act? Let us hope that the transition teams have done their jobs
well. Let us hope that everything Ms. Fiorina and Mr. Capellas promised will
happen. HP will have to work extremely hard to make even half of what was
promised come true. Now is the time for HP to start to bring these promises
to fruition. There is no energy to waste on side issues like vengeance or
vindictiveness.

How should we the customers/partners act? One thing we need to do is accept
the truth. Whether anyone on this list likes it or not the merger has
happened. To continue the anti-merger campaign in thought, word or deed is
not productive. The war is over and the merger side won.

Some people may feel that they no longer want anything to do with HP either
as a customer or a partner. All can say is that those of us that are staying
on to meet the new challenge will miss them. Some may stay because they want
to some because they have to but if they stay, they have to accept reality.
As an IT professional dealing with HP products I have no other choice.

I said above that HP can have no energy to spare on vengeance or
vindictiveness; neither do we. Let me add the third "killer V" vitriol.
Calling names, stomping feet, whining, threatening or putting bumper
stickers on your car reading, "Charleton Heston is My President" will not
change reality. Being negative instead of productive will benefit no one.

Ms. Fiorina is the CEO of HP and will be until the shareholders or their
elected board removes her from that office. If you wish to start a
grassroots movement to do, so you are within your rights. If you do try to
replace her may I suggest that being nasty, personal slanders and
unsubstantiated opinions is a recipe for failure.

Time will tell.

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