Well, I'd say another possible underlying reason for software crippling is
simplification of manufacturing lines, therefore cost reduction. If you
software-cripple a given CPU, the process happens only at the very last
stage of manufacturing, therefore enabling the manufacturer to use generic
(undifferentiated) components for most of the process.
Which, after all, is perfectly in line with the HP Way Stated Objective #1,
which is profit. We all know we can increase profit by increasing revenue
(boosting HPe3000 sales would have been a way to do just that) or decrease
cost (and simplyfying product lines is a way to do that).
That's the newest twist : software crippling as a way to implement and
strengthen the HP Way. Or am I overly cynical ?
Christian Lheureux
Responsable du Département Systèmes et Réseaux / Head of Systems and
Networks Department
APPIC R.H.
business partner hp invent
Tel : +33-1-69-80-97-22 / Fax : +33-1-69-80-97-14 / e-mail :
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
AIM nickname : MPE Evangelist
"Le Groupe APPIC recrute, contactez nous !"
> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]]De la
> part de Ron J. Frenken
> Envoyé : vendredi 6 septembre 2002 21:56
> À : [log in to unmask]
> Objet : Re: [HP3000-L] HP Press Release about hp3000 - crippling CPUs
>
>
> I agree that crippling the product is a bad marketing idea.
> We all know
> that HP has never been the best at marketing, especially the
> 3000. I think
> the reason for the crippling was to increase upgrade sales in
> the future.
> If you sold someone a 918 who only needed the power of the
> crippled 918 at
> the time, HP hoped they would grow and require more
> processing power in the
> future. If they had sold them the uncrippled machine, there
> would be no
> need for them to upgrade for a long time. They put in
> planned obsolesce.
> Funny, I guess this still didn't earn the 3000 enough sales
> to keep going.
>
> The reason HP has been able to get away with this is because
> there are no
> other companies out there that can sell MPE, and MPE is
> directly tied to the
> HP hardware. If Dell tried to cripple their CPUs, Gateway or
> someone else
> would gladly sell you an uncrippled version. One advantage
> of commodity
> hardware/OS for the users.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ron
>
> Comments my own, not my employers, etc.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wayne R. Boyer [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 1:39 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] HP Press Release about hp3000 - crippling CPUs
>
>
> In a message dated 9/6/02 11:23:33 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
>
> > It's really there, and has been since the 918 was introduced.
> >
> >
> Hmmmm.... So my suposition that all crippling is done in software is
> correct?
>
> Then....
> 1) Someone could write some very clever PM code to UNcripple MPE....
>
> 2) The code MUST detect the model # of the box (HPSUSAN?) and
> use that to
> determine whether or not to cripple and if so, by how much....
>
> 3) Extra easy for HP to uncripple any machine....
>
> 4) No need to exchange any hardware when upgrading to an
> uncrippled model #
>
> And I still think that crippling a product is long-term dumb.
> Does Sun,
> IBM,
> Dell, etc. cripple their products and tout 'better crippling
> and slower
> performance'? This is all part of the bundled approach to
> HP-3000s and MPE
> and why I beleive that both are dying creatures. HP-3000 to HP-3000
> comparisons mean something but HP-3000 to Dell comparisons
> for example are
> made in the bigger world.
>
> Still interested in hearing more from people who would like to propose
> serious long term solutions to the EOL/migration situation...
>
> Wayne Boyer
>
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