At 04:21 PM 5/12/99 +0100, David wrote:
>If you buy a HP3000, you should be free to request enhancements to it. The
>HP salesman should not say to you "for an extra $nnn, you can request and
>vote for enhancements, by joining Interex".
I believe that the HP salesfolk (and marketing folk and even R&D folk)
would be the last to say this!

>Surely examples on this list over the last few weeks are proof that HP
>listen to more than just the Interex vote when it comes to enhancing MPE.

Absolutely!

>Everybody who has a HP3000 has a voice, and each of them should be free to
>use that voice to request enhancements without having to pay money just to
>speak.

They are - voice on this list is free, and frequently exercised!

>Sure Interex has done an undoubtedly good job over the many years of it's
>existence in promoting the HP3000 and collating votes for enhancements etc.
>But now, there are other ways HP can glean this type of information, places
>where people don't have to pay for the privilege to speak their wishes, and
>places where HP people listen.

Absolutely - the ability of the "average" customer to say things that can
be heard by HP has never been greater. Interex has a role to play (Oh -
now, I'm on a roll!) in making certain that this voice is distilled into a
single cogent opinion. That opinion is added to the mix, and is certainly
not - not should it be- the only way for HP to gather customer feedback.
(Nostalgic moment for the times when it had, perhaps, a greater ability to
sway HP, but that was then...)


>It's like saying only people who pay taxes should be allowed to vote for the
>government. But then I guess some of you will agree with that as well.

Well, no, actually it's like saying that only citizen's get to vote for the
government. Speaking as a long-term resident alien, the decision to retain
my British Citizenship was taken in full awareness that I would be
deliberately dis-enfranchising myself. Similarly with a decision NOT to
take out an Interex membership. The vote comes as a benefit of one outcome
from the decision. It is intellectually and politically foolhardy to
suppose that it could be any other way!

The moment the value of Interex's efforst to influence HP on the behalf of
its members become  cost-ineffective, I would be the first to suggest that
Interex get out of the advocacy business. And also among the first to say
that in that event the community would suffer a grievous loss.

Interex does make many of its advocacy efforts available to the widest
possible community (the Annual Advocacy Surveys). But the work product of
those wide-spread efforts is not freely available. LIkewise, as John Korb
notes, the effort involved in gathering the various issues, and
prioritizing them within a narrow context (a particular SIG) is also an
effort for which Interex assesses no charge. However, when those issues
must be prioritized within the real-world context of conflicting
priorities, then Interex does limit it to a smaller community, ie those who
perceive the value of being a part of that community, to wit the membership.

Tony (stepping down off his high horse and trying to get on with some
billable work!) Furnivall