Although HP’s sales of HP 3000s end in Halloween of 2003, there’s nothing scary about staying on the platform beyond that point, even if customers are worried about patches. When Jeff Vance of HP ‘s 3000 group confirmed there will be a 7.5 release for MPE/iX, he added, “Patches will be generated through EOL,” meaning the end of the 3000 line in 2006, not the end of sales. “Current plans are for MPE/iX 7.5 to be released this summer,” Vance said, noting that customer demand will determine if 7.5 is the last release of MPE/iX from HP. “A lot depends on customer wishes,” he said in an Internet posting. “We believe that many customers will not update, even to 7.5. We are still discussing if 7.5 will be a “push” release, and if it will be shipped with all new system sales.”