OpenMPE continues to wait for HP to announce its decision about a 2007 and beyond license for the 3000's operating system. But the advocacy group staffed by nine volunteers has already announced a plan to create a lab, staffed with 30 experts working on contract, to handle anything that HP will be releasing. Setting up a lab to build MPE/iX with needed patches takes time — perhaps more than HP believes, to do it right.

That's why OpenMPE is hoping to start collecting funding for lab now, in advance of HP's decision. Earlier this year the group announced its pricing stategy for these lab services. While OpenMPE has contracted with an independent accountant to handle the funding finances, one of the group's volunteers is the primary point of contact if you're signing up. (For more details on that lab services plan we refer you to several NewsWire blog articles, as well as the OpenMPE PDF file of its slides from that August meeting.)

Sign up with treasurer Paul Edwards, who has the deposit slips for the OpenMPE account, with a check payable to OpenMPE, Inc.

Paul Edwards & Associates
1506 Estates Way
Carrollton TX 75006
Phone: (972) 242-6660

Donna Garverick, winner of this year HP e3000 Contributor Award from HP, sent a message to underline that the corporate funding of the plan shouldn't scare off individuals who want to help on MPE's future.

Now, before y’all faint -- this is a *proposal* for *corporate* membership -- something/someone with deeper pockets than you and me! For the rest of us... I’ll now direct you to our membership page: www.openmpe.org/membership.htm See?  Zero cost!  Free...free is good :-) (You are a member, right?)

However, free isn’t perfect.  I think everyone has some idea of what it will take to run all those racks of equipment required just to build MPE.  There are facility expenses, heating, cooling and so on.  MPE isn’t a free ride today and it isn’t going to be tomorrow either. OpenMPE will take any amount of money you’re willing to send.  $1.... $5.... $20... whatever.  (By the way, OpenMPE is not a charitable organization...so the money you are sending won’t be a donation from a tax perspective).

The NewsWire's coverage on the OpenMPE plans to protect the future of the 3000 in 2007, a year when many sites won't be migrated yet:

Podcast, about eight minutes, on setting up the labs
Why OpenMPE matters
Why HP believes a year is enough time
How an emulator is essential to hobbyist licensing
What a new negotiator will bring to the efforts of OpenMPE