Following is a snippet of something Duane posted to
3000-L.  I move my reply to where there is less noise
and to focus on things OpenMPE needs to do:

=====================================================
I would like to add that ISVs who are migrating their
customer base from the HPe3000 need 2 things, both which
seem at odds with each other:

a. A consistent message from HP about the platform going
away. This is so that recalcitrant customers don't get
frozen and refuse to migrate.

b. A way for slow moving customers to maintain their
HPe3000 beyond 12/31/2006 so they are not harmed while
finishing up their eventual migration.

... a perception that HP isn't selling the migration
message.

Bottom line - HP is in a tough position .....
===============================================

a. The consistent message from HP should be that *HP*
is going away;  and that as time goes on PA-RISC boxes
that can run MPE will become less and less available
and harder to support.  Just how far down that PA-RISC
obsolescence path MPE users want to walk should be up
to them decide; and should NOT be dictated by HP.

b. "Eventual" migration is one of those wonderful
words of matchless elasticity.  Allegro has committed
to support their customers running MPE for at least 10
years after HP's EOL announcement; i.e. until 2011; so
they must feel that MPE is viable at least that long.
A lot of things can happen in the next 7+ years where
it might be vital for some MPE sites to get certain
minor but critical "tweaks" to the OS code.  Allegro
and a few other companies and individuals in the MPE
community are fully capable of doing that if sites are
willing to pay to have the work done *AND* HP will
release their death-grip on MPE source and licensing.

My bottom line:  Right now HP is failing the "trusted
partner" test.  I am gratified to see that several
people have recently posted general agreement with my
"Free MPE or boycott HP" position.  If enough sites
stuck to that line (and especially if some of the
larger MPE shops would adopt same), that MIGHT be
one of the things that could put significant pressure
on HP to get off dead center on OpenMPE issues....

Ken Sletten