[Info-vax] VMS License Generator

[Subcommandante XDelta]

On Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:55:33 -0500, Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk>
wrote:

>On 1/29/2012 6:02 PM, Subcommandante XDelta wrote:
:
>> Alas this is where that analogy falters, if a corporate purchases an
>> asset, they can damn well do what they please with it, regardless if
>> it the greatest commercially derived operating system on the planet.
>
> Yes. That is the law.

That which is law is not necessarily, wise, just, responsible,
proportionate or even sensible, SOPA/PIPA, NDAA 2012, the Patriot Act,
there are myriad iniquitous examples.

Sometimes being supinely law abiding is path of supreme weakness,
being an outlaw and being a criminal are two different things.

Being an outlaw does not mean you forfeit horse sense, common sense,
or simple human decency, but it does imply a vertebral system and
functioning gonads, but let us not digress on matters best left for
other newsgroup colloquia.

This splinter cell of the VLF (the VMS Liberation Front) is not
composed of script-kiddies on a lair, on a lark, for a laugh, wearing
baseball caps backwards, baggy jeans around their ankles, listening to
Britney Spears, or however young folk comport and compose these days.

This splinter cell of the VLF is composed of ancient, justified, and
righteously pissed off, 401k'ed, old digits, akin to Peter Finch's
character Howard Beale in the film Network (1976) - we're as mad as
hell and we're not going to take it any more. We don't give a damn,
but we do give a damn about the future of VMS.

Bury me in an 11/780 cabinet, with the IDSM on my heart, an RK05 disk
pack for my pillow, when that time comes to cold cycle.

>> The crime (against humanity) is what HP Senior Management have done,
>> or more precisely not done with their currently owned VMS asset.
>
>BS.
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_against_humanity

This splinter cell of the VLF does not consider itself above
criticism, we take your observation on the chin and stand corrected,
our use of the term "crimes against humanity" was sloppy and
imprecise.

We loath the sloppy and imprecise use of the term "terrorist", for
example, (and we are waiting to, but not anticipipating, being called
"VMS terrorists"), thus we empathise with your opprobrium and
consequently apologise.

But when HP Senior Management and to whom they are submissive, finally
manage to kill off VMS and deprive the entire planetary system of one
of the crown jewels of computing science - what would one call that
act?

>> If you use the licences so generated to keep your non-commercial
>> hobbyist VMS systems operating, there is a theoretical and
>> questionable "criminality" admittedly, but you are not defrauding or
>> depriving HP of any revenue streams.
>
>There must have been thousands of music/film file sharers that
>have argued that they would not have bought the product so the
>company did not lose any revenue. And they all lost (if that was
>their best argument).
>
>Arne

Arne, I think you are gilding the lilly just a tad, has the VMS
Hobbyist program led to a serious forfeiting of revenue streams to HP?
-  I think not, it's helped preserve some VMS mind-share, with mininal
opportunity cost to HP.

How much would it cost an individual with no corporate, government,
academic or other institutional affiliations (hence perks) to
establish and maintain on a continuing basis, just base VMS licencing,
let alone any layered products?

Facts and figures welcome.

I am not asserting that any such facts and figures wil be outrageously
greedy, merely that it will probably be out of the ambit of most
individuals.

Again if the future regimes of the VMS Hobbyist Program are
respectful, equitable and accessible, what need to resort to an
LMFgen?

Rest easy gentleman and attend to your beers.

This has been yet another communique from the VMS Liberation Front.

Saludos cordiales,

Subcommandante XDelta,
p.p. The VMS Liberation Front