[comp.sys.encore] Is there an interest here about the Encore

pierre@imag.imag.fr (Pierre LAFORGUE) (11/27/89)

This newsgroup seems dedicated to the Encore Multimax (and sometimes Annex).
Is there anybody reading it interested in the ex-Gould, now Encore, brand 
(mainly the NP/1) ?    Or is another newsgroup relevant about that ?
-- 
Pierre LAFORGUE
INTERNET: laforgue@imag.Fr       UUCP: pierre@imag (uunet.uu.net!imag!pierre)
BITNET: pierre@frensl61

mchinni@PICA.ARMY.MIL ("Michael J. Chinni, SMCAR-CCS-E") (11/28/89)

Pierre,

	I am interested (very) in the NP1. The only otehr newsgroup (internet)
that I know of that might be appropriate would be the gouldbugs@wasatch.utah.edulist.

		Mike Chinni
		<mchinni@pica.army.mil>

cook@pinocchio.Encore.COM (Dale C. Cook) (11/28/89)

[pierre@imag.fr (Pierre LAFORGUE) recently posted that: 
|This newsgroup seems dedicated to the Encore Multimax (and sometimes Annex).
|Is there anybody reading it interested in the ex-Gould, now Encore, brand 
|(mainly the NP/1) ?    Or is another newsgroup relevant about that ?
|-- 
|Pierre LAFORGUE
|INTERNET: laforgue@imag.Fr       UUCP: pierre@imag (uunet.uu.net!imag!pierre)
|BITNET: pierre@frensl61

I'm nobody official, but from "inside" it looks like Encore, the Company,
is changing so that those of us on the Multimax side are learning more
about the (to us) new products formerly offered by Gould/SEL.  My view
is that the company-specific newsgroups should follow the company where
possible.

I will take an action to publicize this group to our coherts down in
Florida (who know more about NP1, Concept etc) to increase the chances
of questions getting good and timely answers.

        - Dale (N1US)   Encore Computer Corporation, Marlborough, Mass.

INTERNET:  cook@encore.com	"The good thing about USENET is that you
UUCP: buita \			 can ask a question to 10,000 people.
    talcott  } !encore!cook	 The bad thing is that you'll get 10,000
   bellcore /			 answers."  - source lost

zawada@EN.ECN.PURDUE.EDU (Paul J Zawada) (11/28/89)

cook@pinocchio.Encore.COM (Dale C. Cook):
> [pierre@imag.fr (Pierre LAFORGUE) recently posted that: 
> |This newsgroup seems dedicated to the Encore Multimax (and sometimes Annex).
> |Is there anybody reading it interested in the ex-Gould, now Encore, brand 
> |(mainly the NP/1) ?    Or is another newsgroup relevant about that ?
> 
> I'm nobody official, but from "inside" it looks like Encore, the Company,
> is changing so that those of us on the Multimax side are learning more
> about the (to us) new products formerly offered by Gould/SEL.  My view
> is that the company-specific newsgroups should follow the company where
> possible.
> 
> I will take an action to publicize this group to our coherts down in
> Florida (who know more about NP1, Concept etc) to increase the chances
> of questions getting good and timely answers.

You bet there is interest, but not enough at Encore!  Here at Purdue,
we have the very first NP/1 ever built - en.ecn.purdue.edu.  (The Beta 
test machine.) It was given to Purdue for testing before it became a official 
production machine.  (As well as it's predecesor, the PN 9080.)  George 
Goble (ghg) still hammers on the machine when a new bug shows it's head.
However, it looks like the NP series is dead after the NP/1 orders 
are filled.  A few prototype NP/2s were built before encore bought the
Gould Computer division. However, according to ghg, these NP/2s were
cut up and sold as scrap after Encore bought Gould.  One was packed
up, sitting on the loading dock, waiting to be shipped here.  It never
made it.  Sigh.  Since then, the people who designed the NP/1 and NP/2
in San Diego were fired and the whole place was auctioned off.  Apparently, 
Encore management is not interested in big machines.

pjz...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul J Zawada				|   zawada@ee.ecn.purdue.edu    
"E-site" Student Consultant		|  ...!pur-ee!zawada
Purdue University			|    
Engineering Computer Network		|    GO BOILERS!!!

cook@pinocchio.Encore.COM (Dale C. Cook) (11/30/89)

[zawada@EN.ECN.PURDUE.EDU (Paul J Zawada) recently posted that: 
|
|You bet there is interest, but not enough at Encore!  Here at Purdue,
|we have the very first NP/1 ever built - en.ecn.purdue.edu.  (The Beta 
|test machine.) It was given to Purdue for testing before it became a official 
|production machine.  (As well as it's predecesor, the PN 9080.)  George 
|Goble (ghg) still hammers on the machine when a new bug shows it's head.
|However, it looks like the NP series is dead after the NP/1 orders 
|are filled.  A few prototype NP/2s were built before encore bought the
|Gould Computer division. However, according to ghg, these NP/2s were
|cut up and sold as scrap after Encore bought Gould.  One was packed
|up, sitting on the loading dock, waiting to be shipped here.  It never
|made it.  Sigh.  Since then, the people who designed the NP/1 and NP/2
|in San Diego were fired and the whole place was auctioned off.  Apparently, 
|Encore management is not interested in big machines.
|
|pjz...
|
Again, I want to start by stating that I have about as much say so here
as Joe the janitor, but I think this posting does the company an injustice
and I'm going to speak up!

Yes, NP2, the follow on to NP1, was cancelled.

When Encore bought Gould/SEL it was obvious that some drastic action had
to be taken to stauch the financial bleeding that had brought down Gould.
Further, it had to be taken quickly or there wasn't going to be any more
Gould or Encore!

The NP line, though technically successful, was loosing money.  A lot of
money.  The decision to kill off that line was a BUSINESS one.  We are
a business.  We have stockholders.  We can't do a lot of research "for
the good of all mankind" without funding.  It just doesn't work that
way in capitalism.
|
From my brief association, mostly over the mails, with the engineers
at San Diego and elsewhere in the company who worked on NP, I believe
these people were not "fired" because of any lack of technical expertise.
There just weren't enough sales to support keeping all of the products
and people in the new combined organization.

To judge from the choices made that "Encore management" is not interested
in "big machines" is just totally off the mark!  Are you aware, for
example, of our DARPA funded Gigamax project?  I'd say that qualifies
as a pretty "big" machine!  Without getting specific, I can say that
there are plans afoot to address all product-points in our markets --
including the high end.  Patience, Boilermakers!

|Paul J Zawada				|   zawada@ee.ecn.purdue.edu    
|"E-site" Student Consultant		|  ...!pur-ee!zawada
|Purdue University			|    
|Engineering Computer Network		|    GO BOILERS!!!

        - Dale (N1US)   Encore Computer Corporation, Marlborough, Mass.

INTERNET:  cook@encore.com	"Millions long for immortality who don't
UUCP: buita \			 know what to do with themselves on a
    talcott  } !encore!cook	 on a rainy Sunday afternoon."
   bellcore /			 	- D.P. Barron	

prc@erbe.se (Robert Claeson) (11/30/89)

In article <8911280104.AA23275@en.ecn.purdue.edu>, zawada@EN.ECN.PURDUE.EDU (Paul J Zawada) writes:

> Apparently, Encore management is not interested in big machines.

Heard about the Gigamax?

-- 
          Robert Claeson      E-mail: rclaeson@erbe.se
	  ERBE DATA AB