[Info-vax] Current VMS Usage Survey

[Bill Gunshannon]

Before this (once again) gets totally out of control, let me make
it clear that all I am trying to do is demonstrate that there are
very likely no mysterious secret VMS contracts with the government
that will rear up to save the day.  True long term contracts do not
exist in the Federal government.  If there were anything close in
all liklihood they would be with a government contractor and not
with HP thus having no effect what HP does with VMS.  The government
having systems does not protect a company from going out of that
business.  When I was at West Point, my job was maintaining a
cluster (yes, we had clusters then :-) of Prime 850 minicomputers.
I left in 1988.  The Primes were still the primary academic computers
for the Academy.  Prime went out of business in 1992.  What was it
people were saying about having to maintain production for years
to support government owned systems?

It really is time to face the fact that if you (noone in particular,
the corporate you) were expecting some government contract to force
HP to extend the life of VMS it just isn't going to happen.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>