Ron Seybold asks:

> So what do you think, customers? Do you agree with the VP at Tufts
> Health Plan that you "can't really get engaged in operating system
> development?" Or is the prospect of having MPE cared for by someone
> other than HP not any more scary than using Linux? (Not to say that
> Linux doesn't have its bald spots, too...)

I suppose I'm no longer technically a customer. Nevertheless, here is my
$0.02: The Linux distribution companies all have a certain amount of
stability and credibility going for them now. Plus HP and IBM are squarely
behind Linux. Contrast that with the promise (hope) of some organization
with no funding, no big company support and no credibility taking over
responsibility for MPE? Yes, I'd say it is a whole lot scarier than using
Linux.

To make it even scarier, I remain unconvinced that corporate HP will ever
acquiesce to anything beyond the limited licensing proposed for an emulator
(even that is more "intent" than fact). Look at its actions (or lack of
actions) so far, approximately 2 years after the announcement. If it wanted
to encourage (or even allow) a future for MPE it would, among other things,
immediately allow for the conversion of used equivalent HP9000 systems to HP
3000s. It would actively encourage the development of an emulator. It would
... (fill in for yourself the other things HP could be doing).

John