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

[JF Mezei]

Richard B. Gilbert wrote:

> Did you ever consider that, just maybe, it's NOT feasible to port VMS to 
> an 80x86 architecture?

Yes. But it would not be because of the porting effort, it would be
because HP just doesn't care about long term viability of VMS and
consider VMS to have been in semi-maintenance mode since 2002.


> supporting both VMS and Unix.  The 80X86 architecture was designed for a 
> micro-computer/personal-computer that would run PC-DOS/MS-DOS. 

The 8086 may have started life as a glorified toy controler, but it has
since grown up to 64 bits and equipped with serious system interfaces to
help build large systems.

>It will not run VMS as we know it!

It isn't "8086 won't run VMS", it is more like "VMS will not run on any
platform that is actively developped" once they put IA64 out of its misery.


> I'm aware that there's a VAX emulator program for the 80x86 
> architecture.  As far as I'm concerned it's a toy, a curiosity.  I doubt 
> that it can compete, in the performance arena with Alpha or IA64 hardware.

I disagree. I think that a significant portion of the remaining
installed base consists of people who have "mature" systems that are
plugged in and just work. That is why there are still so many vaxes
running plant etc.

They are not concerned about performance. If you have plant machinery
designed to produce 1 tonne of paper per hour, you can't just push a
button to make those machines go faster, so in the end you don't need a
faster computer to control those machines. So having your VAX box moved
to an emulated 8086 gives you compatibility with your older system
without any software worries and with mor readily available spare parts.

If you have a VMS based application whose needs are growing, then you
have long ago left VAX because of growing performance needs. You may
still be on Alpha or have been forced on that IA64 thing. And when IA64
is gone, then you are forced to move to another OS/platform entirely
bexause you won't be able to increase capacity of your computer.