Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hplsla!jima
From: jima@hplsla.HP.COM (Jim Adcock)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: Future of Apollo
Message-ID: <5550002@hplsla.HP.COM>
Date: 6 Jun 89 17:54:26 GMT
References: <8906020235.AA00380@umix.cc.umich.edu>
Organization: HP Lake Stevens, WA
Lines: 46

> HP/Apollo has four major OS's (3 versions of UNIX and AEGIS) and four
> major hardware platforms (HP's 68K and SPECTRUM, and Apollo's 68K and
> PRISM).  

The HP 680x0 Un*xs and the series 800 Un*x are very, very similar, and are
headed in the same direction as Apollos.  In a year or so these will all
be OSF/1.  As may be DEC and IBM.

> Clearly, some platforms and OSs are going to go, and HP people
> are going to choose what lives and what dies.  They own the company,
> after all.

Apollo people are HP people now, one of several HP computer divisions.
Each HP division has considerable autonomy, but there are attempts to
minimize turf battles and product overlaps between divisions.  I believe
the Apollo people are well respected within HP for their technical capabilities,
so I believe Apollo will come out well in these coordination efforts.
In any case, HP cannot afford to negatively impact either customers who 
have traditionally been "Apollo" or "HP" by these
coordination efforts.  One area where effort is going to be coordinated 
is in the 68040 new product area.  But 68040 upgrades will be available for 
both series300 and Apollo users.  The end result is that both HP and
Apollo customers will have a wider choice of hardware to run on, 
a wider choice of software to run on it, and more people available to
help support the combined hardware and software.
 
> Quote number 2 is just sales talk.  Ignore it.  

Don't ignore it, hold HP to it!  If HP lets you down in this area squawk
to high heaven!  ...but... many computer magazine surveys put HP #1 in these
areas.

> Interesting question:  Which is technically better PRISM or SPECTRUM?

I believe that both are technically very good designs, and should be 
supported.  PRISM has unique capabilities that are admired.  Further, I believe
as we head more and more towards "Open Software" customers will feel less
and less locked into a particular CPU design, and will have much greater
flexibility in choosing the hardware they run on.  Without a lock on
customers, computer vendors will have to be even better at providing speed, 
reliability, low cost, and support.

As an internal user of HP computers, I'm very excited about being able
to use Apollo hardware and software!

[not "official" pronouncements -- I'm just another grunt user]