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The HP 3000 series is a family of minicomputers released by Hewlett-Packard in 1973 after a difficult development project. The first models were withdrawn from the market until speed improvements could be made. It was intended to be the first minicomputer delivered with a full featured operating system with timesharing. It ultimately became known as a reliable and powerful business system. Early models had large cabinets with front panels, while later models were made that fit into desks using only terminal consoles for diagnostics, with bootstrap routines in ROM.
It was one of the last proprietary minicomputer systems to be retired, outlasting the PDP-11-descended Digital Equipment Corporation VAX, which was acquired by Compaq and then ultimately by Hewlett Packard. After 30 years, a five year phase-out period for the now-named e3000 series servers was announced in November 2001. No more new e3000s are being sold. Support from the vendor to customers for the HP 3000 continues through Dec. 31, 2010. Many third party firms are supporting the system for customers through the year 2013 and beyond.
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