[Info-vax] vtAlpha and marketing bullshit

[John Wallace]

On Dec 18, 10:06 am, Pinocchio <pinoc... at gmx.com> wrote:
> Hi all!
> "Bare metal approach" of vtAlpha is nothing but a f*ing marketing. vtAlpha is a modified Linux
> SuSe distribution with a simulator binaries running on top. So all their "no OS overhead" claims
> are false. Think, instead posting some real benchmarks they are pumping us with a bullshit.
> Definitely ground to double think before selecting this simluator. Besides are they violating
> GNU license? I didn't see any links to sources on their web site.
>
> P.S. I am not affiliated with any commercial Alpha simulator supplier. I only hate marketing
> bullshit.
>
> --
> pinoccio # gmx.com
>
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Welcome to the modern world of IT, where an expression means exactly
what the vendor wants it to mean.

Don't be too harsh on these particular folks though.

They're just using the same definition of "bare metal" that the
HYPEervisor people have been using for years, and very few people
bother questioning or correcting their definition. I do, occasionally,
but it doesn't usually sink in.

"Bare metal" HYPErvisors for x86-on-x86 are a joke too, but the
expression seems now to be accepted. See also "Type 1" HYPErvisor. War
is peace, black is white, etc.

VMware have built a business out of this kind of game, and their
history includes a legal dispute about their use of GPL software. Most
IT departments just accept it through ignorance or laziness or
whatever.

If I had to pick a Linux, for most of the last decade or so and for
most of the likely applications (desktop, server, realtime) it would
have been SuSe. Other Linuxes are available.

If you feel the vtAlpha folks are breaking the GPL terms (I'm not
saying they are or aren't because I haven't looked), whoever owns SuSe
this week may be interested. I got a well known UK telco to publish
sources they'd "omitted" for a DSL router of theirs that I bought. The
chap who eventually ended up with the task was very apologetic and did
sort it as promised. Whether they still make the same mistake is a
different question. There are reportedly organisations that will help
you, if you don't feel confident or hit obstructions. I didn't hit
obstructions but had to allow for the glacial pace at which large
organisations move; the vtAlpha folks would surely be more responsive?

Thanks for the heads up anyway. I had wondered about some of the
claims that the vtAlpha folks were making ("no underlying OS" didn't
seem quite compatible with the variety of x86 platforms they claimed
to support).

regards
John