"F. Alfredo Rego" <[log in to unmask]> reminds me/us:

<snip>

> Regardless of what I believe, I know for a fact that HP has not made
> any official announcement related to the rumors (unless I missed it
> during my mountain excursion).  Perhaps HP has just made some private
> "inquiries" regarding many possible alternatives?  If so, HP is
> perfectly within its right to weigh *all* the alternatives without
> having to commit itself to any particular course of action BEFORE
> it makes an(y) announcement.

At this point, I think the annoucement has an almost 100% chance of being
made, based on what Wirt wrote and the other "rumors" circulating here.  I
put "rumors" in quotes because most of the postings here that have fueled
the rumors have not been rumors, strictly speaking.  They have been posts
made where people were concealing their sources, which are not rumors, but
news.  As Wirt wrote (citing an anonymous source within HP):

"Sending this to you because you are someone people trust and listen to. I
don't want to send it to the list myself, seeing as the "official" public
announcement will come Wednesday. I'd like to just remain "anonymous."

At this very moment, I'm on a conference call with CSY and the rest of the
HP3000 world internal to HP.

The rumor is true, as well as the "confirmation" this morning by whoever
that
was that heard it from someone inside HP. Everyone seemed to shut him down
because they don't know who he is. That's why I'm letting you know. If you
were to say you heard it from inside HP, people will believe."

To me this moves the announcement from rumor to soon-to-be fact.

As for past tense, it will be past tense soon, but I could have qualified it
(as I did with my email to Carly) with the caveat "If HP goes ahead with
this insane annoucement [of the obsolescence of the HPe3000 and MPE]...".
It's the classic IF-THEN-ELSE:  IF HP makes this annoucement THEN I will do
my best to ensure that HP never gets another dime of money from me or my
company; ELSE, I will continue to pour money into HP in the form of support
dollars and hardware/software dollars.  That's an alternative that HP should
be weighing....

However, Wirt is absolutely right when he says that "this may be the best
thing that could happen to MPE".

And, just so you don't forget:  Email Carly at
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/email/fiorina/index.htm


Jim Phillips                            Therm-O-Link, Inc.
MIS Manager                        1295 Henry Brennan
Voice: 915-860-9933             El Paso, Texas
Fax: 915-860-9936                 79936
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: www.tolwire.com

LONG LIVE MPE!

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