Roy wrote :

> Did Carly personally cancel the HP3000? Well, it happened on her watch.
> So - does Denys imagine it never got to board level? Unthinkable.

Though I don't always agree with Denys, I would personally try my best at
refraining from any Denys- (or anyone else-) bashing.

> But I don't suppose that she initiated it, specifically. I surmise that
> someone, reading Carly's gameplan for HP, decided to curry favour by
> proposing to 'rid her of this troublesome priest'; and, the way it was
> presented being in line with her preconceptions, it got nodded through.

Agreed. See my HP Strategy review of last night.

> But in a different universe, a different CEO might well have decided
> that the rearrangement of HP would take a different tack. As a result of
> which, the long-standing injustice that CSY did not get the benefit of
> the HP3000/MPE support revenues might have been corrected.

I beg to strongly disagree on that one. My point was, precisely, that sooner
or later, for many, many reasons, MPE would have had to go. Greedy software
vendors are one very valid reason raised today by yet someone else. I
suggested a few valid reasons, too. Another CEO would have rescued MPE ? For
what business purpose, please ? Does anyone on this list (or anywhere else)
seriously believes that, say, Mark Hurd, had he been CEO instead of Carly,
would have saved the 3000 ? I don't think so. All the fundamentals are in my
memo. Plus the greedy vendors. Plus others that I have probably overlooked.

> And does anyone want to dispute that if this had happened, the HP3000
> would not suddenly have looked like a very profitable operation that any
> business would be crazy to terminate?

Hey, when you have a cash cow, you may or may not milk it till the last
droplet. After all, GM axed a still profitable Camaro a few years back, P&G
axed the Camay (not sure of its name in North America, it's Camay in Europe)
soap bar weeks ago, Boeing axed a still profitable 727, Coca-Cola repeatedly
tried to ax its immensely profitable "classic" coke, and I could go on like
that forever.

Is IT specific in such a way that it can be saved the burden of abiding by
business fundamentals ? I don't think so. But it's probably my business
education that skews my judgement.

Now, I have to say I won't vote for Mr McCain. But that's certainly not
because of his apparent choice for an economic adviser.

That's because, as a French citizen, I don't vote in the States.

Christian

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