🚀 go-pugleaf

In January Symbolics laid off the last 3 employees.  After 10 years with
Symbolics and two unsuccessful attempts to buy the assets, I am off to
other, yet to be determined, endeavors.  My last year and a half as
President, CEO, CFO, Director of Sales and East Coast Customer Service
Engineer  was without a doubt the most interesting.  I want to thank all
those loyal Symbolics customers who helped keep the company going well past
its perdicted demise. 

In anticipation of a number of questions that people might have, I am
providing the following information.

The person or persons who made the successful offer to buy the Symbolics
assets are using a Boston law firm, Ropes and Gray (617-951-7000), to
handle the purchase.  I have heard rumors that  Andrew Topping is involved
in the deal, but I have no information about him.  I do not know what their
plans are and do not know  whether they will offer hardware and/or software
maintenance.  

The Symbolics phone numbers in Chatsworth, CA are still in operation, but
no one is answering the phone and I am not sure whether anyone is checking
the messages.

Princeton Capital Finance Co. (PrinCap), the current owner of the Symbolics
assets, told me they were shutting down their operation on Friday, 2/27. 
Their phone number (609-275-7100) is supposed to remain in service as a
voice mail box.  I was told that Steve Gander had been tasked by ABN-AMRO
Bank to hold Symbolics together until the purchase is closed.  His current
E-mail address is gander@dinar.princap.com, but that will change after they
turn off the PrinCap computers in a month or so.  The only mailing address
left for Symbolics is P.O. Box 389, Princeton Junction, NJ  80530

Ron Drake is the representative of ABN-AMRO Bank who is supervising the
shutdown of PrinCap.  He appears to have significant influence over what
happens to the Symbolics assets and is directing Steve Gander on what he is
allowed to do for Symbolics maintenance customers.  His number is
212-891-0621.  This is the only number for the current owners where you
will get a live person at the other end of the phone.

Before I left, the second release of Open Genera for DEC Alpha workstations
was ready to go out for CD duplication.  Genera 8.5 for Ivory workstations
was close to completion, but had a few bugs left to work out.  I do not
know what the future of these two products will be.

For those people with hardware problems while Symbolics is in a state of
limbo, I will be happy to try to assist you in any way I can. If you need
help or have other questions, please feel free to contact me by E-mail at
dkschmidt@compuserve.com or by phone at 703-455-0430.

DAVID K. SCHMIDT