James Byrne writes:
>HP got to its current position by setting its own course and
>following it, come hell or high water.  They didn't run after Abobe
>PostScript
>for their lasers and they didn't chase Intel or DEC for computers.  They did
>things their way.
 
And sometimes got burned for their NIH attitude. PostScript is a fun one.
 
Page description languages are great. They put the burden of figuring out
which pixels should be which colors in the printer, where it should be,
not on the host. Anybody who remembers the early days of PageMaker on a
PC remembers waiting an hour for a 10-page printout, during which the
computer was next to useless. The same page layout done on a Macintosh
with a PostScript printer might take a couple of minutes.
 
HP was smart enough to see that something better than PCL was required
for the graphic arts market, but they didn't invent PostScript so it was
ipso facto BAD. They went out and found something better.
 
From an August 1, 1986 press release:
 
  Boise, Idaho -- Hewlett-Packard Co. today announced an
  agreement to adopt IMAGEN Corp.'s document description language,
  DDL, to further expand the capabilities of HP's desktop
  publishing solutions.
 
  DDL incorporates all of the graphic features of current page
  description languages, plus additional capabilities that give PC
  users greater flexibility in designing and printing sophisticated
  documents such as those which merge text and complex graphics...
 
  [Boise GM Douglas K.] Carnahan said strong third-party support is
  planned for DDL, and added that seven leading software vendors
  already have pledged support: Aldus (Seattle)...
  Microsoft Corp. (Bellevue, Wash.)... Software Publishing Corp.
  (Mountain View, Calif.) and T-Maker (Mountain View, Calif.).
 
  DDL is scheduled to be available for all of HP's LaserJet
  printers in the fall of 1986 from authorized dealers and HP's
  direct sales force.
 
The only thing left of Imagen's DDL is the lovely font that Imagen
commissioned, Lucida. Oh, and at least one set of documentation. If
anyone wants my HP DDL Software Developer's Guide, I'll be happy to
negotiate a price.
 
-- Bruce
 
 
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