[Info-vax] Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP

[Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson]

VAXman-, @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:

  [ Does the hobbyist program benefit HP? ]

> It does benefit them.  It's fostering and creating knowledgeable users,
> knowledgeable admins, and knowledgeable programmers who will want to use
> and buy VMS.  Otherwise, the monies go to buy Micro$oft virus collector.

Or <insert commercial linux distro here> or not at all by using
<insert your favorite no-cost linux distro here>.  There are even
more options such as FreeBSD, OpenIndiana or *gasp* Oracle Solaris,
IBM Aix and I believe OS X, just to name a few non-Linux systems.

Without in-house knowledge of VMS, componies are very likely just to
get rid of it.  There are also factors such as external (unrelated)
tech support putting pressure on it.  It's way to common for people
to blame something they don't know if anything's wrong.  I know of
a one case where the tech support of an accounting software firm con-
vinced its customer to switch out a Novell server (happily running for
three years on straight with updates) simply because they were (or in
this case, this one tech support guy) hiding their own ignorance.

The management was happy to switch, I mean, wasn't Novell just some
ancient unsupported junk?  (This was in 2005, btw)  Then the bills
started to come in.  Not only for the new hardware, or the server
license, but the really huge bill (considering the size of the com-
pany) for support such as setting up the Windows server.  Of course
it was in no way possible for the accounting software firm to support
or recommend Linux because they didn't have any in-house knowledge of
that either.

"So, are you running the database on VMS?  Sorry, it must be VMS' fault
that our database-client application is doing something wrong.  Switch
it out for <insert Linux distro> and it'll work again."

Wait wat?


In other news, I'm currently starting on a small personal project that
I'm very likely to publish as open source which doesn't help me at all
if I can't run it on Deathrow.  Well, until Deathrow goes away.

-- 
   Johann Oskarsson                http://www.2ndquadrant.com/    |[]
   PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Training and Services  --+--
                                                                  |
   Blog: http://my.opera.com/myrkraverk/blog/