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From: leland@DRAGONFLY.WRI.COM
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: HP 9000/700s not running Domain/OS
Message-ID: <9104011930.AA04990@hera.wri.com>
Date: 1 Apr 91 19:30:08 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 36

I am happy that HP announced the 700 so I can speak of it. The 700
is indeed a gloriously fast machine, and the performance and
responsiveness of the machine will be an excellent competition for
Open Windows. In fact, more than excellent.

To me as an Apollo user the decision to not run Domain/OS on these
platforms is a very very bad mistake. HP has already made Apollo users
feel unwanted by announcing the software death of a great number of
products that are still viable. It would not take many tweaks to the
DM functionally to convert normal Unix users in droves.

Note it would still take a fair amount of programming time, for in all
fairness the prodict would have to run under X/Motif and would have to be
available on many more platforms than Apollos.

Here is what frustrates me the most about the 700. The machine
arrived with an Apollo still packing list. It has an Apollo style
light pattern on the front. No HP-IB interface is standard. All the
screws on the back are the interchangeable and the machine is
incredibly easy to service. This machine seems to be, in fact, an Apollo
in HPs clothing. In addition, Domain/OS 10.3 has a predefined
macro __ISP_PA_RISC which is always 0.

Does this ring to you like it does to me? Did HP kill Domain/OS on the
700? Was it planned, and even begun? You know, I bet some engineer deep
in the guts of HP has a great story to tell about it.

Pity we customers will never know.

This is my opinion as an Apollo user and sys admin, and of course,
has nothing to do with WRI.

                                                Leland Ray
                                                Wolfram Research, Inc.
                                                (217) 398-0700
                                                leland@wri.com