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Introduction

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Welcome to RT Writer's blog - for all things related to the ITUG Community. In particular, to topics consistent with the theme of my colum "Real Time View". As you may recall from the first column I wrote back in the July - August 2007 issue, then:

"I am writing it with the expectation of presenting a slightly different view of NonStop than might be presented elsewhere and I am writing it to generate further discussion. I am openly soliciting your feedback and I can assure you I will be reading all correspondence that I receive."

By way of introduction - for some time now I have felt that there was opportunities to open more a direct dialogue with the community and so this is very much a prototype that I am looking at to market to a wider cross section of the community. Most of you know me - I have been involved with the NonStop server since my early days at Netlink Inc out of North Carolina. The company's R&D center was in Sydney - but as we looked for additional funding we ran across Tandem Computers and eventually, they made an investment. I was so impressed with the folks I met (folks like Andy Hall, Jeff Tonkel, Suri Harish, Bob Marshall, and so on) that I returned briefly to Australia so that I could join Tandem.

I then held a number of positions before becoming the group manager responsible for a great group of Communications and Networking product managers - Wil Marshman is still with HP NonStop long after I left. From one company with Australian roots (Netlink) to another (Insession) wasn't a big step for me - and over the past 10 years or so I enjoyed working with Insession and later, Insession Technologies after ACI purchased the company. Now I am with GoldenGate - a company I first ran into in my early days at the original Insession - so yes, there's been some continuity to the steps I have taken with my career over the past couple of decades.

This is just background and I do not plan to dwell too much on this - it's just level setting and filling in some blanks for those that may not know me as well as others. The important thing for me is looking ahead - what's going to happen now that Tandem has found a great home within HP.

So, to get started, what did we all think about the recent HPTF event - how many events do you go to each year? Are they meeting you needs - all of them? Some of them? I am particularly interested in the overall positioning of the NonStop server suite - and whether you value HP's commitment to this product line.

Again, this is the first appearance of my blog - so let me know ...
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Fancy meeting you here!

Thanks for posting this question: the "other side", the event planners, have a challenge of obtaining a feedback: you know how it goes: the people who fill in the survey are those who are either particularly loyal, or those who hated the thing! Well, that's my theory and I'm sticking with it!
Our main objective was to retain the sense of community while providing the attendees with the opportunity to learn about the "greater HP". The monkey wrench was the venue - it takes a while to figure your way around the casino, and if you're lucky...Never mind!
Well, we'll be back in Vegas next year, and we are taking the feedback very seriously: we are making steps to improve in areas needing improvement, and we are retaining those features that were well received. We have more time to prepare for 2008 than we had for 2007 - a full year!
Again, thank you for asking!
August 20, 2007 at 4:53 PM
Anonymous said…
It's going to be interesting to see whether "Tandem customers" pick up on and use the new Web2 technology. It has the potential to enhance the feeling of community that many of us old-timers appreciate. Moreover, we may be able to find ways to create real value with it.
August 24, 2007 at 9:36 AM
Kelvin Anderson said…
Out of the old newsgroups and onto the web. Perhaps the comp.sys.tandem folks will move to a more user friendly forum.
August 27, 2007 at 7:41 AM
Richard Buckle said…
In looking back at the comments here as well as at emails I received - I want to make sure that everyone understands that this is a "complementary" service here - one that will tie into my Connection column "Real Time View" and build on the themes I have been developing.

Having said this, I am very interested in watching the take-up, across the ITUG community, of new channels for exchanging ideas and sharing tips and news. This blog is simply one of these new channels. It may take some time - but for me, the most important thing is to generate enough interest so that ITUG members will want to come back and read the new postings.
September 17, 2007 at 3:50 PM
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
October 3, 2007 at 8:42 PM
Anonymous said…
Richard - You are a prolific writer! With your backgtround, you certainly have considerable insights into the NonStop / Tandem space. Since we have a shared interest in expanding the community, let me know of oportunities to collaborate.
October 23, 2007 at 8:51 AM
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