SRFERGU%ERENJ@PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU (Scott Ferguson) (12/05/90)
The burning question: If you were just going to dump us, why couldn't you have just left Apollo alone? Did HP actually make any money off of us? Are you HP folks really stupid enough to think that we're some kind of guinea pigs that would automatically buy HP computers when you threw out our products???
nazgul@alphalpha.com (Kee Hinckley) (12/07/90)
In article <9012051357.AA02241@umix.cc.umich.edu> SRFERGU%ERENJ@PUCC.PRINCETON.EDU (Scott Ferguson) writes: > >The burning question: If you were just going to dump us, why couldn't >you have just left Apollo alone? Did HP actually make any money off of us? My theory is that upper management bought Apollo for the people, but didn't count on the hostility of the divisions, which promptly tried to kill or acquire any project that they saw as a threat. And just about any project at Apollo had a corresponding one at HP (with the HP one manned by 3 or 4 times as many people). They managed to grab just about everything except networking and compilers and the OSF/1 work as far as I can tell. For everything else the end result was that HP didn't get the people after all. There was recently an article somewhere (NYT?) about how *no* major computer merger has ever been successful. Sperry/Burroughs and HP/Apollo were both mentioned. -kee -- Alphalpha Software, Inc. | motif-request@alphalpha.com nazgul@alphalpha.com |----------------------------------- 617/646-7703 (voice/fax) | Proline BBS: 617/641-3722 I'm not sure which upsets me more; that people are so unwilling to accept responsibility for their own actions, or that they are so eager to regulate everyone else's.
herb@blender.uucp (Herb Peyerl) (12/10/90)
graham@hparc0.hp.COM (Graham Eddy) writes: >And what has HP gained from it all? Diddly, as far as I can tell. I've The interesting thing is when you look at the HP Appointment calendar that our purchasing department got. (they got about 50 calendars). Each month features a picture of some piece of HP equipment with a small marketing type description of the picture. One of the months (March I think but the calendar is at work and I'm at home) has a little caption that starts off "The DN2500 blah blah blah" and says something about producing affordable high performance workstations. The funny part of this is that the caption is right next to a picture of a DN10000 with the hi-res display. It appears as though HP bought Apollo, destroyed it and to this day, still doesn't know what it's bought... >really none of my business. Every once in a while (like every month when >Workstation Magazine comes out), I find another reason to get steamed, and You get 'Workstation Magazine'??? I got one about 6 months ago and have never seen another one since. The first one was addressed to myself so I'm assuming HP knows of my existance. Especially since I get propaganda from an HP marketing department regularly about the new 400's. -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- UUCP: herb@blender.UUCP || #define Janitor Administrator ICBM: 51 03 N / 114 05 W || Apollo System_Janitor, Novatel Communications "I spilled spot remover on my dog and now he's gone..." <Steven Wright>
graham@hparc0.hp.COM (Graham Eddy) (12/10/90)
>wow! do i see hate&resentment here! i would be interested to hear, especially >if there is something i might be able to pass back to people i might know in >hp/apollo, why you come to ask if every hp/apollo person is clearly stupid and >in need of some hard-facts-of-life >-graham Well, actually it was the HP people who I was referring to as stupid, and obviously the business people who arranged the buyout and then squandered their new resource. We all know that predominantly technical people read this list, but it has been proven (through our netpower efforts) that it gets read by others when a loud enough scream comes across. This may sound like a commercial for a bank, but... I got a phone call from my SE (support engineer) at Stardent computer the other day. He wanted to know if there was anything I needed from him. No other reason, he just wanted to make sure I was being sufficiently supported on my Stardent machines. I've always favored the smaller computer vendors because they're motivated. That's why I was a staunch Apollo preacher in 1985. Some will say that you can't expect that kind of support from a large company like HP, Sun, DEC, etc., but I say, if you can't, then why bother with their products? I'm not dependent on 3rd party software, so I don't need a popular brand of computer. The point I was making in my mad swipe was that there were some happy Apollo customers, then HP did their thing, and now there are some unhappy customers. And what has HP gained from it all? Diddly, as far as I can tell. I've switched brands, and I'll refrain from further complaints, because it's really none of my business. Every once in a while (like every month when Workstation Magazine comes out), I find another reason to get steamed, and this time I flew off the handle. Scott
thompson@ELROND.SSEC.HONEYWELL.COM (John Thompson) (12/17/90)
> >really none of my business. Every once in a while (like every month when > >Workstation Magazine comes out), I find another reason to get steamed, and > > You get 'Workstation Magazine'??? I got one about 6 months ago and > have never seen another one since. The first one was addressed to > myself so I'm assuming HP knows of my existance. Especially since > I get propaganda from an HP marketing department regularly about the > new 400's. _Workstation_ magazine is an independent mag that covers, but is not affiliated with, HP/Apollo. When HP and Apollo first merged (remember that old line of B.S.?), somebody got most of the Apollo customers' names to the magazine. I got a free subscription, which they then tried to bill me for. After that, I didn't get a copy for a while, and then it started popping up again. I think it's a worthwhile magazine, although it leans very heavily toward HP, and carries little Apollo info. I won't guarantee this, but the inside cover lists an e-mail address of "cs.utexas.edu!pcinews!wks". If this is correct, 'THANK YOU' TO _WORKSTATION_ MAGAZINE. John Thompson (jt) Honeywell, SSEC Plymouth, MN 55441 thompson@pan.ssec.honeywell.com As ever, my opinions do not necessarily agree with Honeywell's or reality's. (Honeywell's do not necessarily agree with mine or reality's, either)
steve-t@hpfcso.HP.COM (Steve Taylor) (12/17/90)
// herb@blender.uucp (Herb Peyerl) // writes: > You get 'Workstation Magazine'??? I got one about 6 months ago and have > never seen another one since. The first one was addressed to myself so > I'm assuming HP knows of my existance. Quoting from page 6 of the Dec. '90 issue of _Workstation_: "_Workstation_ is published monthly by Wilson Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Publications and Communications, Inc., 12416 Hymeadow Drive, Austin, TX 78750-1896. ... Subscription Rates: $45 per year U.S. ... _Workstation_ is an independent journal, not affiliated with Hewlett-Packard Company." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Regards, Steve taylor NOT A STATEMENT, OFFICIAL OR OTHERWISE, OF THE HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY.