This reply started out as a just another commentary to the hp3000-l mailing
list, but as I began to finish it, I realized the correct audience is
someone who can make it happen rather than more preaching to the choir; so
it's now become an open suggestion to CSY management.  I understand that
other issues and priorities may obscure this one, but it seems to me to be
a regularly visited source of difficulty for the relatively well-connected
users on hp3000-l and so I expect it to be at least as big a problem for
those users (especially new customers) who aren't so well-informed.

At 09:08 PM 10/7/99 , Wirt Atmar wrote:
>We used to try to buy or borrow as many new printers as we could and test
>them internally to insure that not only the HP3000's code but also our own
>was working perfectly with the devices. To be absolutely honest, we don't do
>that as religiously as we used to, but it would probably be a good idea for
>CSY to fill a room somewhere with a broad variety of HP printers (including
>many of the older printers) and use them all as a constant testbed.

And CSY should also (IMO) staff someone to test printing to the whole
roomful on a regular basis (keeping up with the latest applicable patches
such as spooling, TCP/IP, DTC, etc. areas and rolling in for at least short
term testing basically every printer that HP produces that someone might
try to use on an MPE system, and that's probably all of them ;).  I suspect
it's probably a full time job for at least one person.  But it will save
much more than that for customers all over the world and will make CSY and
the printer and support divisions look much more like they know what they
are doing, or at least like they still talk to each other regularly.

I know the days of HP's printers having a first priority of being
compatible with HP's computers has long since past, never to return.  But
since the printer divisions no longer consider that MPE compatibility an
issue then the responsibility for it should be picked up by CSY or some
other HP organization.  I'm sure more than one customer (or potential
customer) has been disappointed in the lack of compatibility between HP's
computers and their printers.  I realize the problem is changing designs
and priorities in the printers, but many customers see it as a defect in
MPE's spooler or I/O systems.  Since the printer divisions don't care much
anymore (and realistically I understand that MPE customers now make up a
tiny sliver of their target market) about MPE issues it should now be the
responsibility of whomever manages MPE (and I believe that's CSY).  And as
always, trying to keep the support folks informed about the evolving issues
will continue to be important.

PS.  Once the test process is in place, something as simple as a (simple
and informative is more important than pretty) web page listing what
printers (including firmware revision etc.) have been tested on what
versions of MPE (including patch level) using what I/O mechanisms (TCP/IP,
serial, HP-IB, etc.) along with any notes that might make implementing that
printer for a customer easier, such as special config details or things to
look out for like specific versions that failed to work.  Basically
document what combinations are known to work and what combinations, if any,
are known not to work so folks (both inside and outside HP) don't have to
duplicate that effort across thousands of customer sites.  I would like to
see such thorough documentation on compatibility issues visible to the
customer base at large, rather than only visible to HP insiders.

PPS.  If the person (or people ;) who do all that testing run out of things
to do, have them test some of the more common or more interesting non-HP
devices on MPE.  I don't think there's a shortage of things to keep them busy.

PP (as in: yet another ;) PS.  While I'm thinking about it:  Thank you,
Harry, for all the things you've done over the last few years which have
brought forth the latest renaissance of the HP3000.  Many of us look
forward to the coming years with renewed enthusiasm and high expectations
for HP in general and MPE in particular.  I wish you well.
--
Jeff Woods
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