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

[Arne Vajhøj]

JF Mezei wrote:
> Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> I can not see why the VMS engineers would do that.
> 
> Because they love their work ?

I think most of them love their job more than their work. They
have families to feed just like everybody else.

> Also, consider the highly theoretical/speculative scenario when VMS
> engineers learned that VMS was to be canned with IA64 and that the date
> was coming soon. Consider that high end folks at HP were heard saying a
> VMS port to 8086 was not possible or too expensive (excuse).
> 
> It would have been to the VMS engineer's own interests to do a proof of
> concept leading to hard numbers on how big a porting effort it would be
> which would have allowed VMS management to counter the false excuses
> produced by those within HP not wanting VMS to thrive.

Countering false excuses from senior management with a POC seems
more likely to get the employees black marks in their reviews than
changing senior managements decision.

>> It will do whatever senior management decide it will.
> 
> Correct. But because VMS is not a strategic product for HP, it is to the
> VMS group's best self interest to try to change HP's senior managements'
> minds. Not an easy job, and no garantee of success. But NOT trying
> garantees that HP will let VMS wither away.
> 
> An announcement that a midnight hack resulted in a succesful boot of VMS
> and a "directory" command on an 8086 server might have generated so much
> good will from customers and positive feedback that HP might have had to
> change its mind about letting VMS go away.

Goodwill does not matter much.

Get orders for 5 B$ of VMS/x86-64 equipment and they will listen.

Arne