Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!RICHTER.MIT.EDU!krowitz
From: krowitz@RICHTER.MIT.EDU (David Krowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re:  Value of DN100x0 systems
Message-ID: <9106241447.AA14561@richter.mit.edu>
Date: 24 Jun 91 14:47:35 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 37

Actually, the DN10000 trade up program (ie. you keep the
machine, plus get an additional 40% off of a series 700)
was in the works about the time of the ADUS sys admin
conference, as was the price drops in add-on gear for
the DN10K (to make up for the lack of the 2X CPU's).
The ADUS board of directors meets with HP's workstation
division managers at each of our board meetings, and
for the last 6 months we have been passing along the
message from our members regarding the DN10K.

HP's response was this:
1) the 2X CPU upgrade can't be built. The company 
   which makes the CPU/FPU chips can't produce
   reliable chips. Switching to another company
   would take 18 months or more and would push
   the price of the CPU's too high.
2) Apollo didn't sell all that many DN10000's.
   Building a PA-RISC CPU for the DN100K would
   be expensive because of the small number of
   units sold, plus it would not run Domain/OS
   because of the previous decision to move all
   new HP platforms to OSF/1.
3) The best HP figured they could do was to offer
   current DN10K users the choice of A) a cheap
   switch over to a series 700 for those who
   wanted to move quickly to OSF/1  b) a cheap
   life extension to current DN10K machines in
   the form of additional CPU and memory boards
   for those users who want to stay with SR10.

You get to keep your DN10K when trading "up" to
a series 700 so that your current software can
run side by side with your new machine until you
get it all ported. HP considers it an additional
discount.

== Dave