To the OpenMPE community,

In February, Mike Paivinen communicated that vCSY would be providing an update
on "a couple of the important items on the e3000 end-of-life roadmap."  Before
providing that update, I want to share with you some other news of interest to
the OpenMPE community.
    * vCSY continues to work to strengthen its relationship with the OpenMPE
      Board and will be providing monthly updates to the Board on issues under
      discussion.
    * HP will make a platinum-level contribution to OpenMPE to help defray its
      operating expenses over the next year.
    * We are currently reviewing the SIB ballot and expect to provide an initial
      response by May 31, 2004. We may be able to provide a response to some
      items earlier, while some items may take considerably longer.

The two areas of the end-of-life roadmap that I would like to address are the
conversion of used HP 9000 systems to HP e3000s and MPE/iX source code access,
both of which appeared on the 2004 SIB.

HP 9000 to HP e3000 Conversions:
    We are reviewing the complex situation regarding HP 9000 to HP e3000
    conversions. As recently as HP World 2003, we said that we would not pursue
    this.  However, after listening to the input provided by the OpenMPE Board,
    we have reopened the subject.  So far, we have had limited internal
    discussions on this topic.  We intend to provide an update in June 2004.

MPE/iX Source Access:
    An investigation is underway to quantify the work required to license MPE/iX
    source code to an outside organization, along with the supporting build and
    test processes.  This and other factors will be used to make the decision on
    whether to license MPE/iX source code to one or more third parties.  We
    intend to communicate a decision in the second half of 2005.  This timeframe
    is later than that requested in the 2004 SIB for several reasons.

    First, we need to complete significant planning and investigation before we
    can make a decision.  To ensure a successful transition, should we decide to
    move forward, we are proceeding with an investigation to quantify the work
    required to transition MPE's build and test processes to an outside
    organization.  The first step in the investigation is to create an inventory
    of the build, integration, and test processes that are used to create a
    distribution of MPE/iX.  The purpose of the inventory is to consolidate
    process information in a standard way and to evaluate our processes for
    opportunities for simplification and increased efficiency.  The evaluation is
    being done with an eye to simplify any possible transition outside of HP.
    After the inventory is complete, we plan to seek input from OpenMPE on hiring
    a non-HP, e3000-knowledgeable contractor to evaluate the process
    documentation for completeness and to determine if it is sufficient to allow
    for a successful transition.  We expect that completing the process inventory
    and evaluation will take another 2-3 months from now.  Soon thereafter, we
    expect to hire the contractor.

    Second, there are many business factors to be evaluated and balanced before
    making this decision.  For example, we need to evaluate the legal and
    intellectual property issues that may arise in a source licensing arrangement
    between HP and one or more third parties. We need to define the process for
    selecting the candidate(s) to gain access to the source.  And, as stated
    above, we need to understand the costs associated with preparing the source
    code for third-party access.

    Third, no one can predict how the e3000 landscape will change between now and
    the end of 2006.  Making this decision closer to the time of implementation
    provides greater degrees of freedom in selecting the optimal solution.  It
    avoids locking in an inappropriate decision prematurely or mis-setting
    expectations.

    We are confident that if we decide in 2005 to move forward with MPE/iX source
    code access, then we will have sufficient time to complete our activities
    with one or more third parties before HP's end-of-support date.

In conclusion, I want to reiterate our commitment to address the needs of
customers who intend to use their e3000s past HP's end-of-support date.  Our top
priorities continue to be delivering high-quality support to those customers
running their businesses on the HP e3000 and working with customers and partners
who are currently creating and executing their transition plans.  In addition,
we will continue to work with the OpenMPE Board of Directors to attempt to find
solutions for the OpenMPE community.  We acknowledge the sense of urgency that
some members of the community are feeling for timely decisions to help with
their planning.  We will try to provide intermediate updates as available.

I welcome your feedback and comments.

Regards,

Ross McDonald, MPE/iX R&D
Director of Engineering