I heard from HP Executives re: complaint

[Norm]

I heard back from an HP Executive relations person.

It really is just as bad and awful as
any scientist or engineer would fear.
Their words to soothe our fears? That they
proudly introduce "9G" and "9S" (Walmart junk)
for our needs, as well as "hp30s" (more junk).
However financial people will continue to get their HP12C.

I have the e-mail address for this . It's
a good shortcut to write direct (not thru the
HP webpage). I encourage anybody else who cares
to pepper him loud & strong. Strength only thru numbers.

If anybody wants to complain to HP, like I did, you may
e-mail ME and I will forward you the communications
that took place. If you e-mail me a request,
do that at analogee@gte.net and I'll forward
you 3 e-mails I did to these guys. The middle one
has the executive's e-mail address which is your shortcut.

Stick a megaphone in their ear, and yell loudly.

[Paul Brogger]

Folks:

By all means, contact HP, and tell 'em what you think.

But I think we should keep it calm and well-reasoned. If we're to have any influence on the course of events, it will be because some folks in places of responsibility actually open up to a change in course. That won't come about if we start going after them with both guns blazing. (Of course, it probably won't come about anyway, but we can only do our best.)

So I'd advise a flood of calm, well-reasoned, arguments for the benefits of true RPN functionality, shirt-pocket portability, and solid construction. We should use our best grammar and spelling, and no profanity or name-calling.

I doubt there's any hope of "the new HP" following the advice of a fringe group of rabid RPN acolytes. But maybe they'll take into account the wishes of some caring, experienced professionals? (We can always hope, can't we?)

Again, if we've any influence at all, we'll not want to do anything to upset the apple cart just as a long-overdue RPN model (however WalMart-junkish may be its construction) is apparently to be introduced! Let's encourage 'em and see what comes before complaining too bitterly.

(And we might also consider evaluating the upcoming offering as a baby-step back toward the right direction, and not over-zealously compare it directly to the HP-15C/41/42S or whatever we think is the best of what the company somehow used to be capable . . . )

-- Paul B.

[Patrick]

A fringe group of rabid RPN acolytes?

Man, I'm there! That sounds like too much fun! ;-)

Actually, Paul your words are well taken.

As I've mentioned in other threads here, I've recently purchased the DVD from this site and have been happily wandering down memory lane, re-reading today in pixels what I read on glossy paper so many years ago. It struck me when I read this note of yours that the best "calm, well-reasoned arguments" could very well be embedded in these very documents. HP itself trumpets in their old literature all of the attributes that we now lament in their passing. RPN. Solid, worry-free construction. Keystroke programmability. Value.

The best argument might be to hold HP's own statements up to them and ask them if they really meant it.

[Norm]

My view on complaining, is partly to tell them
to STOP redesigning it all the time.

If you start out selling hammers, and then you
expand to saws, well, do you redesign the hammers?
No, keep selling hammers. If somebody comes out
with a nail-gun and an auto-repeating staple gun,
do you stop making hammers?

You can come up with new things, you can start
selling nail guns but don't stop making the hammers.

Straightforward calculators that DIDN'T sport
800 functions and WON'T require 3 years continuous
study to master, that's what's missing.
They should do less re-design, not more.
I want them to start making HP-34C's again.
If they won't, well, I'm still trying to start
my collection.
Again if anybody wants a good e-mail to
complain to, contact me at analogee@gte.net

I heard from quite a few folks; lots of them
said that the guy I've got is indeed the
focus point for executive relations on HP.
He didn't respond to some people earlier,
I was loud enough that he responded to me.
I think we should all hit this PR person,
politely yes, but with conviction. We would
NOT be a fringe group, we are people who know
how to do mathematics and programming and
know what are some good tools to do it with,
and we know what we want.