[Info-vax] rx2800i2 sales/support window changes

[Paul Sture]

On 2014-02-13, johnson.eric at gmail.com <johnson.eric at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Even leaving that aside, let me play some snarky word games here.
>
> What really is the meaning of the word new? Let's say HP sticks to its
> guns and refuses to sell you "new" boxes after Dec 31, 2015, but continues
> to sell boxes that are "like new" through its HP Renew program, would that
> be good enough? You would understandably worry about part failure, but HP
> tells you they have that covered and they show you a picture of a
> warehouse full of parts - is that good enough? Isn't that all you really
> care about at this point?
>
> How about - if HP sells you an i2 where everything is brand new BUT the
> CPUs? Does that count as new? So it's new RAM, new power supply, and a
> motherboard that's been through a 50 point inspection process - how about
> that? Is that new enough?

Hmm.  I have come a purchaser who had a policy of not buying second hand
kit, and things got unpleasant when they found they had done so.  I
understood that this one had never been commissioned by the original
owner, but it was second hand.

> It's not like a car where there's an odometer and you can tell that it's
> been used. Apart from plastic that yellows and some banged up casing, I
> think it would be hard to tell what's used. And I'm not suggesting that HP
> will lie, but clearly there's wiggle room here over the exact meaning of
> the word new. When a "new" sits on the lot for 2 years and is never
> driven, is it still new? Yes, but still... kind of not the same, is it?

I came across a "new" car many years ago which had been sitting in storage
for a couple of years.  It was brand new in the sense that it was
imported with the factory protective wax etc still on it, but the engine
and chassis numbers told us how old it really was.

> I'm not saying - just accept the Dec 31, 2015 date. If you don't like it,
> and you pay good money, then by all means, push back and turn that rumor
> into reality. But at the same time, accept the fact that the date can move
> because you can play games with what the word "new" means. And if you need
> to hear a different meaning of the word, they'll give it to you. But don't
> expect the underlying facts to meaningfully change.




--
Paul Sture