While I agree with many of the opinions posted to this list, I tend to be
rather pragmatic about these things (and no less verbose). I find myself
compelled to comment on a few key issues:

Just like many others, I've been disappointed by HP's announcements over the
last few years to obsolete the HP3000 and most of HP's business-class PC
product lines. The repercussions of these decisions will take many years to
play out. Still, HP owns these products and can kill them if they so desire.
Outside of HP's upper management, there is little any of us can do about it.
Our choices are simple: Chastise HP in a public forum, hoping the negative
press will motivate them to change their stance, and/or take our money
elsewhere. In the business world, neither of these options is desirable, but
the latter is often necessary.

As much as we might not want to hear it, we all know this is about the
money. MPE is an IP (intellectual property) for HP and they seem intent on
maintaining a stranglehold on it until it dies. Has anyone at HP considered
the question: "What value is there in an IP such as MPE if you won't sell
it, support it, enhance it - or let anyone else do so?".

Liability is a ruse. After providing written notice of their intention to
stop the sale and support of MPE after 2006, what possible liability
remains? What harm could result from releasing MPE as open source to some
virtual CSY?  Although an emulator might work, could it survive under HP's
unrealistic restrictions? If HP can't cost-justify supporting MPE
internally, why prevent anyone else from trying? Is HP worried that SCO
might find some stolen proprietary code in MPE? (O.K., that last one was a
joke, but seriously folks...)

HP is obviously betting that a majority of us will simply cave in to their
wishes and spend huge dollars purchasing migration services, HP9000s, and
"HP" Proliant servers. I don't doubt that some of this will happen, but not
to any great extent. HP must be assuming that if MPE survives in any form,
it will reduce their chance of revenue from any of the above sources. On
this point, HP might be right, but they're still missing the "big picture".

When HP discontinued the NetServers, Vectras, Kayaks, and Omnibooks, we were
forced to re-evaluate our purchasing standards. As a result, HP's re-branded
Compaq systems lost out to Dell as our new standard. The bottom line is that
HP will lose well over $500K in PC-related sales this year alone - and
that's just from our company!  How many other companies were forced into
making similar decisions? HP will never know.

This was a business decision forced upon us by HP - a gamble that HP lost in
a big way. Over the next few years, we will likely migrate (unwillingly) off
the HP3000, but it'll be on OUR schedule - not HP's. The destination
platform(s) will depend on the applications chosen to meet our business
needs. Thanks to HP's own decisions, they no longer have a lock on our
computer hardware purchases.

Someone needs to remind HP that every current customer is a potential former
customer. It all depends on how HP treats the customers they still have.
Lately, that treatment hasn't been very good.

(While my opinions are my own, they do tend to influence company policy.)

Jim Haeseker
Mgr., Technical Operations
General Chemical Corporation