Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpcea!hpfcdc!hpfcmp!hpfcse!hpuecoa!bgphp1!rclark
From: rclark@bgphp1.UUCP (Roger N. Clark)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: hp9000 ser. 500 hpux
Message-ID: <830001@bgphp1.UUCP>
Date: 19 Feb 88 16:15:20 GMT
References: <987@maccs.UUCP>
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Geophysics, Denver
Lines: 60

> HP9000 series 500 (HP-UX) users:

> HP has just announced the "discontinuance" of the 500 series, and
> that under the standard N year support on hardware, the o/s will be frozen at
> HP-UX Rev 5.2 (SYS V release 2).

I am QUITE UPSET!!!!
I bought a 500 in late 1984.  The machine was only introduced a
couple of years earlier.  It was becomming obvious by 1986 that the
500 was on its way out.  In 1987 it was certain.  Now it is here.

First I do not know anyone who will buy a new computer until it
"matures" for a year or two.  If HP's computers only last 6 years
from intruduction, and you wait a year or two before buying, then
you are stuck a few years later.

Contrast this to other computer manufacturers.  DEC still supports
PDP 11's, and is still comming out with new products for it!  Gould
still supports their old SEL's; Concurrent (Perkin Elmer) still
supports their PE3200's.

From what I have heard from HP people, the ONLY reason that HP
sold the 500 for so long is that the NAVY was buying a lot of them.

Now the question is whether to upgrade to an 800.  How do we know if
HP will continue the 800 or will it be phased out in 3 or 4 years?
HP will probably say no way, but there was no indication of that
when we bought the 500s.  I think HP's reputation will be damaged
badly in the eyes of their current customers.

HP seems to have a good products, even in the 500.  The prices are
competitive, and the maintenance costs are great.  But if you have
to replace your machine every 3 or 4 years, it is just not worth it.
It is about 4 years from the introduction that HP stopped porting
software to the 500.  You can't get NFS or TCP/IP (Except for an
outrageous price you can buy TCP/IP from Wolongong) unless you
upgrade to the 800 or 300.  How do we get domain based mail for the
500?

I had a quote done for an upgrade from my 500 to an 800.  HP gave an
upgrade trade in of $9,196 for the 500, bringing the 800 price (with
the boards I need to have the equivalent of what I have now) to
$40,000.  That hardware retails for about $60,000!
A large fraction of the upgrade price is for software!
The upgrades are so poor there is little incentive.

What is the NAVY going to do?

So I can't decide whether to upgrade to an 825, buy 350's (including
a few diskless workstations) or forget HP and try for another vendor
(of course any purchase would be by competition).  Many of the
people I work with are buying Suns.  Porting between HP and Sun is
not always easy.  I have a strong incentive for going with Sun.

I think if HP wants to keep its customers and a good reputation,
they will come up with a better deal.

Roger N. Clark
(Any opinions expressed here are mine and not necessarily those of
the USGS)
{known-world}!hplabs!hpfcla!hpfcse!hpuecoa!bgphp1!rclark