I recently attended the re-launch of H-P in South Africa. H-P "bought
back" the caretaker company that had been looking after H-P interests
since they left.

Some speakers from Europe talked through some slides, but there was not
one mention of MPE, the only operating system H-P really owns.

I had HP3000 customers there, and I had made a point of following up on
the invites to make sure they didn't miss it. Afterwards, of course,
they asked me where the HP3000 and MPE featured in H-P's strategy, and I
was probably fairly unconvincing in my reply. I was too afraid to refer
the customers to one of the speakers, in case they got an even more
negative response.

I did raise the subject after the meeting, but there was little or no
reaction.

I have sent e-mail to the address that Stan gave out, and have asked H-P
to please begin to include MPE and HP3000 in their publicity, or let me
know that the platform is being phased out, and some timings on this, so
that I can begin to work with my customers on an alternative.

And the sad thing is, that all it would take to reassure HP3000
customers would be to add MPE and HP3000 to a few dozen corporate slides
(a few minutes work), and for CSY to update these marketing types as to
the existence and status on the HP3000, so they could mention it in the
same breath as they do NT and UNIX, Netservers and HP9000's.

That's enough, Neil

Neil




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Allan Chalmers [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, February 09, 1998 6:53 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      HP3000
>
> For the second year running, HP has made no mention of the HP3000 in
> the
> annual report.
>
> As an HP3000 user and a stockholder, I am very disappointed, but not
> surprised.  At last year's HPWorld in Chicago, we were assured that HP
> was
> really going to push the 3000.  We were heartened to see advertising
> again in
> major media.  But again not mentioning the HP3000 line of computers at
> all in
> the annual report gives me the impression that you are not really as
> serious
> as we hoped.
>
> Allan Chalmers
> 148 shares