On a similar note: the HP Cupertino Site, home for (most of) the HP3000 R&D teams and manufacturing source of (most) pre-RISC MPE servers is now scraped clean in preparation to land Apple's "Steve Jobs memorial space ship."
The redwood grove where execs used to serve us hamburgers during Beer-Busts is all cut-down as are apparently all other trees except those on the Pruneridge Wolfe, Homestead, Tantau street boarders. . .
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ed Effinger
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 11:49 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] Mpe: Sad to see it gone....
Hi Harlan.
Very similar story to what mine will be next March as we plan to pull the plug on our HP929.
We too started with HP in 1975-76 to replace our old Honeywell and I too have done all things here.
Thanks for sharing.
Ed Effinger
Conestoga College
Kitchener Ontario Canada.
-----Original Message-----
From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Harlan Lassiter
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 2:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [HP3000-L] Mpe: Sad to see it gone....
Yesterday I went by the building that I used to work in for over 27 years. The original company got bought by another larger one and everyone was eventually moved to another location. I had been in the building awhile back and it was sad to see how much equipment and other office supplies and furniture had just been left behind.
Last time I was in the building, in the corner of the raised floor computer room, was our HP3000 928 system, console monitor and LPQ1200 printer. Yesterday it was gone. Apparently is was picked up late last week as scrap. Also from the room there were around 50 Dell LCD monitors (some new, still in bubble wrap) and perhaps 30 Dell desktop computers, APC battery backup systems, server arrays and other assorted computer equipment. All picked up and sold for scrap. I was told last week that the pickup was going to be after Memorial Day so that is why I was at the building yesterday. Much of the equipment could have been donated to organizations that could use a computer system even though they were not the most current.
The 928 was the last in a series of HP systems for the company having started out with a Series 2 back in 1979 when I first started with them. We came a long way. I started as a programmer and left as the system manager. The system ran all of the company in-house accounting, finance, payroll and project tracking reports and engineering software. All software was developed in-house and was written in FORTRAN. As FORTRAN evolved through the years, so did the software. Files were converted from serial (flat) files to KSAM and eventually to IMAGE databases. What used to take overnight to process took less than an hour in later days.
It was great learning experience to have grown up with the HP3000, MPE O/S, HP tech support, O/S upgrades and patches, Hotline support, INTEREX conferences and PC and network integration in the later years. I guess I was hoping to fire the system up one more time just for nostalgic sake since I am the only one left that would be able to do such a thing.
That is my story. I continue to read this message board and can relate to what topics are being discussed.
Thanks for the memories all.
Harlan Lassiter
[log in to unmask]
Boyle Engineering (now defunct)
Newport Beach, California
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