Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!PICA.ARMY.MIL!mchinni
From: mchinni@PICA.ARMY.MIL ("Michael J. Chinni, SMCAR-CCS-E")
Newsgroups: comp.sys.encore
Subject: Re: is there interest ... NP/1
Message-ID: <8911291654.aa28195@CC2.PICA.ARMY.MIL>
Date: 29 Nov 89 21:54:14 GMT
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[encore!pinocchio!cook@cs.bu.edu] (Dale C. Cook) recently posted:
> 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.

What makes you think that Gould was in trouble and was "brought down", and that
the NP line was loosing a lot of money. The story I heard (and read in a UNIX
trade publication) was the Gould, Inc. was bought by a Japanese Mining Corp..
Since Gould Inc., Computer Systems Division (CSD) had several contracts in
place at the time with the DoD, the sale required DoD approval. DoD said, the
sale would be approved -IF- CSD was sold off to a U.S.-owned company. Encore
then bought CSD.

{ My opinions start here }
Encore then found itself with two competeing UNIX lines - their's and CSD's.
Therefore, since their's was their's and CSD's was the former competitor, CSD's
had to go. I get this opinion from:
	- talks with CSD service reps. who mentioned that no further upgrades
		(other than bug fixes) are to be done for the CSD UNIX line
		(PowerNodes and NP/1s) 
	- talk in this list with mention made of further upgrades for the Encore
 		UNIX line.

Assuming that the basis for my opinions is true (not neccessarily a vaild
assumption). My conclusion is that the decision to close down the CSD UNIX line
may have been made in part for business reasons, but that the other part was
the opportunity to kill off a competitor. 

This may sound harsh, but has anyone ever heard of a company buying a
competitor, and then replacing it's own established product line with the line
of its new acquisition (and former competitor).

- Standard Disclamer about me not speaking for my employers -

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
			    Michael J. Chinni
      Chief Scientist, Simulation Techniques and Workplace Automation Team
	 US Army Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center
 User to skeleton sitting at cobweb   () Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey  
    and dust covered workstation      () ARPA: mchinni@pica.army.mil
      "System been down long?"        () UUCP: ...!uunet!pica.army.mil!mchinni
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