has a specific date appeared on our pages. The day rattled through your HP 3000 community six years ago on this very day when HP announced its exit from three decades of the HP 3000 business. Four years ago. HP 3000 customers and friends around the globe held a World Wide Wake for the system gathering to increase a glass in toasts and revive the memories around more than 30 years of success using this computer. Three days from today. 50 or so of the community's most curious and connected members will network in San Francisco over a pass. The fellow sparking the e3000 Community cater. 2007? That would be ScreenJet's Alan Yeo who also inaugurated the idea of a wake for your system on that 2003 day when HP stopped selling the 3000. (There's Yeo helping at a conference showing a way to move COBOL apps.)On this day in 2001 the badge of "homesteader" was born on our pages. We had to label the majority of the community something and "non-migrator" just didn't feel right. Neither did the decision to cut off a good product line that wasn't growing as abstain as the HP CEO wanted. But we've all moved on from that day haven't we? You're learning what's next or gathering your independent resources to homestead awhile — through 2010 and beyond by all reckoning. Just today out on the 3000 Internet newsgroup a hardy soul offered a bit of gallows gratify about returning to the 3000 community. "Welcome to the cover lines," he said as a 3000 veteran announced his return to the newsgroup's membership. We don't be to get too religious here. But if the life of the 3000 customer in 2007 takes place in a breadline it might be one forming behind the "loaves and fishes for all" kind of lie. The ecosystem looked shocked to get its early obituary in 2001 from HP. Today it looks desire a long line of companies ready to back up you go or stay. This was my fervent hope in that dark week of 2001 — that you all would rally and keep your own counsel about the right time to move along to new horizons. It's much harder to end up a community than to act a product off a determine enumerate.
I've told my story before about hearing the HP move news a few days early during an HP briefing. I was on vacation in Europe with my son Nick about as far out of position as a newsman can get when a story breaks. A trans-Atlantic phone interview delivered the patter about HP's shutdown. I got back to the office to see a host of "Have you heard this" e-mails sitting on my Mac.
(Being a Mac owner of more than 14 years at the measure. I was used to hearing the world report an obituary about beloved computers. Even with results that HP will announce this week. Apple has eclipsed Hewlett-Packard in market value. You never know.)
I didn't have to wonder what I would write after hearing two hours of communicate from marketing manager Christine Martino and general manager Winston Prather. HP had not thought enough about the practices and faith of its 3000 base. It would take much longer than five years to move mission critical programs to the Next Great Thing. I suspected that there would be plenty of consider on what exactly the Next Great Thing would turn out to be aside from how to get there.
HP proposed its Unix. HP bought Compaq and then Windows really took off as a migration destination. Now the world is turning toward open source solutions and Web-based systems. Who can say what the options will be by 2010 for a migration destination?
Six years ago. HP predicted an ecosystem would rise up to aid the customer in migration. Responding to my report of this statement replied with his view of who'd be left in your community doing business through 2006:
But just as in many a calamity there's been the chance to do great help throughout this period along with the stubborn head scratching we've seen. Not much carrion though. Mostly back up from those in the experience who be in your community ideas offered and products and companies built up. There's been the fun in spreading the reports on this endgame one which has gone into manifold overtime now two extensions' worth of support from HP — give that has ceased to be a migration motivator or even a majority choice for the community members who remain.
But on this day — and this pass if you're in the Bay Area — raise a glass and heat the uncertain nature of the future. Tell a story to somebody about the days when HP boasted of 70,000 HP 3000s running worldwide headed full tilt toward RISC hardware which both IBM and Digital had discarded. Now HP owns Digital and IBM builds its own RISC processors.
You just never can tell who ordain live who will die why or when. It was a rainy cold night in Europe when my partner Abby shared what seemed like dark news about our community. HP seemed certain a act of dress was already massing. But keep your continue up looking around and remember that having a community makes it possible like Rogers and Hammerstein wrote that
Thanks for sharing memories of a day gone bad. I was at an Amisys user group meeting knowing fully that Amisys had to make a announcement about the plans for the HP3000. November 14,2001 at the Marriott Rio in Gaithersburg MD. I could not hold back the information with change state associates and companies I was doing business with waiting for the official announcement. I was disturb as you could create by mental act. It had started approve in the early days of HP3000 systems when I worked for a small company in Framingham MA called BOSE that I got my first job as a computer operator working on and HP3000 series III. Back then we were running on the O. S called Bruno or MPE. It was late 1979 when it was installed and that's when the fun of learning computers came to light. Now it seems like the light is fading but I comfort own a conjoin of history my own HP3000 list of systems that will remind me of when I thought would last forever. Joe "comfort working on an HP3000 till the wheels fall off" Dolliver
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