[Info-vax] OT: IBM Offering $9-10 Per Share for Sun

[Arne Vajhøj]

JF Mezei wrote:
> Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> You can not port a full OS without it being an approved and funded
>> project - it is too big.
> 
> Correct. but you could have a midnight hack by devloted employees that
> get VMS to boot on an 8086 to just beyond VMB.EXE or some other low
> level as a proof of concept, and then gosub management and show them
> that it is possible to do it and that the tools to port are already
> there. Management could then decide to fund the rest of the project.
> 
> The advantage of a skunk works is that there is no real deadline as long
> as those employees are still there. (This is different from the
> Alpha->IA64 port where there was a lot of pressure to deliver ASAP
> because it had been announced to customers before staff)
> 
> Alpha-IA64 required a large injection of cash to get project moving
> fast. A skunk works could just find it minimally and stretch it over a
> couple of years and only once you are almost ready to deliver do you
> announce it and then formally inject a small wad of cash to productize
> the port.

I have never ported an OS to a new HW platform or worked for VMS
engineering.

But I find it very difficult to believe that it is something
where the "let a handful of engineers do a little work in their
spare time" approach will produce anything usable.

It is a significant task. And the people in VMS engineering
have regular work to do.

Arne