Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!princeton!siemens!demon.siemens.com From: schuh@demon.siemens.com (Christian Schuh) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo Subject: re: Open Letter Response Message-ID: <63619@siemens.siemens.com> Date: 18 Jun 91 20:08:07 GMT References: <9106172251.AA05357@pan.ssec.honeywell.com> Sender: news@siemens.siemens.com Organization: Siemens Corp.Res. Inc.,Princeton, NJ Lines: 101 In article: <9106172251.AA05357@pan.ssec.honeywell.com> John Thompson writes: >Well, HP/Apollo responded (if you can call it that). Since it appears that >they did not send to the comp.sys.apollo mailing list, I am assuming that >it did not get posted there, and so I'm including it in full. My comments >come after it. Thanks - the reply wasn't sent to the Usenet, even though the letter originated from the net, so I guess most of us would have never seen it. But looking at the response, I think it doesn't make a difference anyways... :-( My 3.6 Pfennige (= $0.02) worth: >> TO: Hewlett-Packard Domain Customers >> FROM: Hewlett-Packard Company >> SUBJ: Response to May 20, 1991 Open Letter >> DATE: June 14, 1991 >> _________________________________________________________________ >> >> Thank you for your recent letter concerning some of HP's business >> strategies. Clearly, you invested a great deal of time and effort >> in the letter and your thoughtful presentation of problems and >> potential solutions is greatly appreciated. Well, clearly HP did not invest a great deal of time and effort dealing with our questions. This response does not include any potential solutions, and its presentation can hardly be considered thoughtful. >> We think that input from our customers is invaluable when it comes >> to making the best possible business decisions. As you might >> already be aware, the primary channel for this communication is >> and has been the Apollo Domain User Society (ADUS) of which there are >> nearly 7,000 members worldwide. 7,000 ADUS members is nice. But what about the many more thousand Usenet users, ADUS members or not, who represent IMHO a much broader base of Domain- users? How long can HP get away with pointing us to ADUS instead of recognizing the 'net' and its usefulness in the communication between HP and its users? >> We have chosen to focus our dialogue through this organization. Ohhhh - excuse us. Well maybe next time we chose to focus our dialogue on a different vendor alltogether. This should be great for HP. No more user questions to bother with... [Sorry about the sarcasm, but what else is left?] >> ADUS conferences draw members from all over the world. The next >> ADUS conference will be held Aug. 4-8 in San Diego and will address all >> of the issues that were raised in your letter. The conference >> provides ADUS members with the forum to exchange ideas >> with each other and with HP's technology experts. Thanks for the lecture about ADUS - we knew that. But we didn't ask for that. Not everybody has the money to spend on trips to San Diego, so telling people to go to the conference or getting the answers through ADUS otherwise is not appropriate. But in a way this is an answer. Since most of the presentation for the ADUS conference are probably already written, the answer probably is: "No changes. Get with the program, or get lost." I just remember the answers given to me regarding the DN10000 situation at the ADUS Midatlantic Chapter meeting not long ago, and it makes me shudder just to think about what the answers might be in San Diego. [I'll go there, but I honestly don't expect any breathtaking changes. I expect a lot of HP hype in conjunction with Interex, which will make look ADUS real small - but that's a different thread.] >> The specific issues you raised will be addressed as follows: >> >> o The future of the Apollo DN10000 will be addressed at management >> strategy presentations and roundtables; >> >> o Support of Domain/OS will be addressed at a Domain/OS 10.4 forum; >> >> o HP OS migration to OSF/1 will be addressed at the OSF/1 features >> update session; [20 more lines from the glossy ADUS conference brochure deleted] Thanks so much for the excerpt of the ADUS brochure. Again - we didn't ask for that. We asked specific questions. We expect specific answers. > Sincerely, > > Mark E. Tolliver > Marketing Manager > Hewlett-Packard Workstation Systems Division John, I deleted your good replies to the HP folk for brevity. I agree, that ADUS has its merits, that's why our organization is a member. But it shouldn't be the sole mean of communication between user and vendor. HP should not ignore the large community of Usenet users any longer. Especially not, if a request clearly originates from the Usenet community and not ADUS. Thanks again for all your effort. It is easy to just give up, it is hard to stay with it and fight. >John Thompson >Honeywell, SSEC >thompson@pan.ssec.honeywell.com Christian Schuh, Siemens Corp. Research Princeton, NJ; schuh@siemens.siemens.com Proud administrator of a DN10020 mini supercomputer =*-[ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "What once was is no more, the story is ending, what once was is no more, and never will be again." ---------------------------------------Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers-----