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From: tjohn@GUMBY.CFSMO.HONEYWELL.COM ("Tony John")
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: Open Letter Response
Message-ID: <9106181836.AA08269@OTIS.cfsmo.honeywell.com>
Date: 18 Jun 91 18:36:04 GMT
References: <9106172251.AA05357@pan.ssec.honeywell.com>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 68

Well, I've sat on my hands long enough.  This is definitly a knee-jerk
reaction.
(FLAME ON)

This is directed to all of HP management that has anything to do
with the direction and marketing of HP/Apollo workstations, not 
to the engineers and programmers that develop and support these systems
and give us real answers to our questions, not some rhetoric propaganda.

I can't believe your response to the USENET letter.  That isn't a
response, it's a copout.  What do you people take us for, first
graders?  Does HP care about its customers at all?  If you do, 
then why aren't you listening to us!!!!!! I know that if (that's a
BIG IF) I do get to go to ADUS, I'm bringing my hip boots because of 
all the bull I'll have to wade through to find any truth in what HP
is saying.

I've been using and supporting Apollo workstations since 1983, (I even 
saw a DN100 in the local Apollo office once) and I've never seen such a
rotten attitude toward customers.  Quit treating us like kids and 
give us credit for knowing something about the workstations we use.
I've learned more about Apollo workstations and Domain/OS in this group
than any ADUS conference that I attended.

Have you noticed that when the first USENET letter went out, it
looked like HP management was going to listen to us and try to 
meet our needs on support.  Now it looks like HP has gone back to 
ignoring us again.  (Why else would we be working on another letter?)
man   What ever happened to the ftp/archive site that HP said they were
going to have?  Does anyone in the HP management monitor this group
anymore?  It sure doesn't look like it.

HP saying that the "standard is better" is a bunch of crap.  Look 
what IBM and Sun did.  MS/DOS and NFS are so-called "standards" because
users saw what they liked and the two companies promoted the hell out
of the products saying they were "standard".  Why can't HP say the same
thing?  They're almost as big as IBM and bigger than Sun, they ought to
be able to promote a product or did they cut the advertising budget, or
are they afraid to step on some toes?

It's very clear to me that in the time since HP purchased Apollo, 
HP management still doesn't understand what they bought.  It's really 
becoming apparent that HP is another one of those U.S. companies that 
doesn't listen to their customers, and probably doesn't even know who 
there customers are.  The reason we purchase a certain workstation and
application software is that it fits our design process, and helps us 
design and produce a product faster, better, and cheaper than the
competition.  All we want to do is get the job done.  When you stop 
listening to your customer, you start losing market share, and we look 
to other workstation and software vendors for help. 

HP management, this is what you're doing, not listening to your 
customer, and if you don't start listening, we _WILL_ start going to
other vendors for help.

(FLAME OFF)

=====================================================================
Tony John                         Honeywell Commercial Flight Systems
612-785-4256                      MN51-1320  8840 Evergreen Blvd.
tjohn@gumby.cfsmo.honeywell.com   Coon Rapids, MN 55433

When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened
or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I
cannot remember any but the things that never happened.  It is sad to
go to pieces like this but we all have to do it.
		-- Mark Twain
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