Ray Shahan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Just think of folks like Robelle, Rego, etc. who truly have their company
>based on the MPE platform.

Thank you for thinking of us.  I can't speak for others, but I have always
looked forward to the future (call me a realist, but there is nothing
else that we humans can do when it comes to the future :-)

Now, of course, "looking forward to the future" does not mean "rolling
over and playing dead".  As I wrote to a good friend today (or was it
yesterday?  I have been running on compressed Internet time for the
last few days -- and Internet time is already supposed to be compressed),

     As you have probably guessed by now, I love to go, like a
     lone wolf, against the flow and I prefer to avoid crowds,
     masses, "trends', and so on :-)

So, instead of "waiting to see what the future will bring", I prefer
to spend my energy and attention on "crafting the best possible future
that I can imagine for the people who are important to me".  In the
specific case that occupies our attention, the people who are important
to me are MPE/Image customers (past, current and future), MPE/Image Lab
engineers (past, current and future), MPE/Image software and service
(and complementary-hardware) providers (past, current and future), and
Hewlett-Packard Company (please notice that I explicitly say "Hewlett"
and "Packard" and not just "hp").  It pains me to see HP trashed by
the business press, because I had the privilege of chatting with both
Bill and Dave (as far back as the early 1970s).  As a posthumous act
of "thank you" to them, I would like to do my best to help their
heritage (their legacy?) to continue to prosper.

Naturally, I prefer not to jump ahead of the future and I prefer to
see what actually develops so that I can act accordingly.  Predicting
is very difficult, particularly when dealing with the future :-)

To every action (however tiny it may appear to the uninitiated eye)
there is a reaction.  The Butterfly Effect is a very powerful thing
(see http://www.cmp.caltech.edu/~mcc/chaos_new/Lorenz.html for details).

The title of a 1972 talk by Lorenz is:

    "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil
    set off a Tornado in Texas?"


>Also, I'd hate to be a company (small HMO) that just spent a million dollars
>yesterday to buy AMISYS and hp, only to find out this new info...OUCH!

I can certainly feel your pain.  I personally know of many such cases
that have happened in the last few days.  Some very powerful forces seem
to be on the verge of being unleashed.  Some people may be convinced
that they are in full control and may find themselves surprised by the
awesome dimensions of the forces.  Some people may be strong enough to
be able to think clearly and to come up with unconventional ways to
actively propel the MPE/Image ship beyond the current turbulence.

Be it as it may, a brave heart is in order.

   _______________
  |               |
  |               |
  |            r  |  Alfredo                     [log in to unmask]
  |          e    |                           http://www.adager.com
  |        g      |  F. Alfredo Rego
  |      a        |  Manager, R & D Labs
  |    d          |  Adager Corporation
  |  A            |  Sun Valley, Idaho 83353-3000            U.S.A.
  |               |
  |_______________|

* To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, *
* etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html *