For those who do not know me, I'm the R&D Manager responsible for the HP
e3000 R&D lab.
As we start the new year, I'd like to share a few thoughts regarding our
November 14
announcement, and the many discussions that have occurred since then.  I
want to
acknowledge the ongoing discussions on how HP and our partners can best work
together
to address the varied customer needs that have been identified, and share
some thoughts
on some of the feedback I've received and discussions I've had.  I am
sending this
message to several list servers and discussion groups associated with the HP
e3000.

I want to start with a few comments about our decision and the subsequent
Nov. 14 announcement.
It was a tremendously difficult decision to make after all these years of
working together
with our partners and customers to meet business needs.  In the past when
we've considered
the future of the platform, we concluded that the e3000 together with
partner solutions
continued to be a viable solution.  However, more recently, it has become
very clear to us that
the overall e3000 value chain, or ecosystem, will continue to erode in the
coming years to the
point of becoming unsustainable.  The e3000 business is clearly in a
downward spiral where the
patterns of a constantly decreasing customer community and decreasing
application availability
are feeding on each other.

Repeated attempts to break this downward cycle through increased R&D and
marketing investment,
and attempts to grow (or at least maintain) our portfolio of application
partners, have not
succeeded at maintaining the business at anywhere near a stable level. It
was clear we could
no longer be confident in customers having access to solutions to meet their
needs. We felt the
only appropriate course of action was to inform everyone of our
recommendation and our corresponding
product and support roadmap plans so that the e3000 community could plan
appropriately.  It was an
announcement that I feel clearly needed to be made -- it was the right thing
to do. Doing so now
while the product line is reasonably up-to-date gives our customers added
flexibility.

Now I'd like to comment on the many list server postings, Interex survey
results, and e-mail
messages I have read, and the many discussions and meetings I and many
others have been a
part of. Some of the frequent needs/concerns that have been brought up
include more information
on available transition tools and services, advice on how to best move
forward, and information
on whether there will be ways to run e3000 applications longer than the five
year window.

I also want to acknowledge the significant feedback we've received
expressing specific proposals on
how to effectively address these customer needs.  We've received many
questions, concerns, suggestions,
and ideas from our customers and partners on topics ranging from transition
tools and services,
to concerns and suggestions about support timelines and roadmaps. A top
priority for us right
now is to understand the information, tools, and services that are most
needed by our
customers for a successful transition, and to make sure that you have a
choice of such offerings
from HP and from our partners.  Many such offerings are already in place,
and we continue to work
aggressively within HP and with our partners to address areas of need. You
will have the opportunity
to get an update on January 22 at our first customer webcast since our
announcement. We are also
working closely with our solution partners to understand and help them
address their needs as they
prepare their future plans.

There has also been much discussion on such topics as open source,
emulation, extended 3rd party support
models, licensing elements of MPE to 3rd parties and/or consortia, etc.
While we do not comment on each
thread, and certainly not on every message, we will be discussing and
considering the proposals and
alternatives within HP and in smaller forums.  We do not intend to rush in
any specific direction(s) before
better understanding the alternatives, issues, pitfalls, etc. We recognize
the need to strike a balance
between making good decisions and making them in a timely way, to help our
customers and partners
plan appropriately. We are still receiving and reviewing proposals (some of
which are mutually exclusive).
We plan to continue listening to your feedback suggestions, issues, and
concerns, as we consider solutions
that are mutually positive for our customers, partners, and for HP. We will
continue to periodically
update you on our progress towards addressing customer needs through the
usual channels (customer and
partner forums, list servers, webcasts, etc.).

None of this changes our fundamental recommendation that our customers begin
planning a transition,
as we do not feel the e3000 value chain is sustainable, nor that there is a
model to sustain solutions
to meet the business critical needs of the majority of our customers. I
recommend that every customer
continue to plan your roadmaps and scenarios with the information available
to you.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the
extended e3000 team both
within HP and in our partner community.  I continue to be extremely proud to
be part of a team
that has accomplished so much together over these many years.  I'm also very
pleased to see how the
HP team, our valued partners, and our user community are working together to
quickly understand and
develop transition solutions to address customers needs. While we all share
a certain sadness on the
announcement we made, and we wish the announcement was not necessary, I am
very impressed with how
quickly everyone has mobilized to move forward.  I think I speak for
everyone in HP associated with
the HP 3000 when I say that we intend to work hard to find solutions that
are positive for customers,
partners, and HP.

I was personally very involved in making the decisions that were announced,
and am completely
convinced we made the right decision. I intend to be personally involved in
working within HP
and with our partners to develop solutions to the transition issues that our
customers
and partners face. I look forward to CSY's continued participation in
appropriate discussion
forums, and I welcome your feedback, suggestions, concerns, and ideas. We
recognize that you
have alternatives as you plan your future roadmap. We hope that you will
choose HP solutions,
and we recognize that we need work hard to earn your ongoing trust and
business.

Regards, and best wishes for a happy new year!

Dave Wilde

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