[Info-vax] Message from HP.

["Gérard Calliet (pia-sofer)"]

Le 10/12/2013 09:17, David Froble a écrit :
> JF Mezei wrote:
>
>> It is pretty clear to me that NSK customers have told HP in no uncertain
>> terms that they will not allow HP to kill off NSK.
>
> I find this humorous.
>
> Just what can customers do to force HP, or anyone else, to do anything?
>
> Now, what entities who need a particular capability can do is to create
> / purchase / support it themselves.  Perhaps some of the NSK customers
> might make such a decision.  Perhaps not.
>
> Look at entities such as Google assembling their own hardware.
>
> A VAX 11/780 was I believe 4 large boards just for the CPU, and then a
> bunch of other boards.  Lots of manufacturing involved.
>
> Current x86 processors are commodities.
>
> Current motherboards are commodities.
>
> Current graphics are commodities.
>
> Current disk drives are commodities.
>
> Get the idea?
>
> What's important these days is software.  With enough will and effort,
> just about any software can be written.
>
> The days of HW vendors writing operating system software to support
> their HW sales is pretty much in the past.
>
> AMD sunk the itanic ...
>
> Alpha never had a chance ...
>
> If IBM knew then what it knows now, it never would have gotten in bed
> with MS and Intel.  Where would either of them be without the IBM PC? No
> where.
>
> The explosive use of the PCs gave Intel the volume to wipe out just
> about every other CPU.
>
> Now, if we're going to dream ....
>
> What if IBM had made a deal with DEC to use the C-VAX chip and VMS for
> their offering?  Could have been done.  Not with DEC's business model.
> ("who would want a computer in their home?")  If DEC would have been
> able to produce the C-VAX and follow ons in sufficient volume, it could
> have been cheap and successful.
>
> "Windows", stolen from Xerox by Apple and MS.  Could have been different.
>
> Ok, now wake up, and embrace reality.
As you say, what I pointed off, and was continued by JF Mezei is a 
little bit humorous : what is happening to VMS will happen to NSK, and 
NSK is funny now for HP, but will not be forever funny, and NSK big 
bosses would do what we want, at the end of the day "HP don't care".

I pointed the general trend for specific computers : no more specific 
HW, specifics going to SF. In this trend VMS has 10 years in advance 
compared to NSK :=)

You are wright, I think, about "do it yourselves". Specific needs 
involves specific organizations, companies, etc doing for themselves 
what they and creating their little specific market ("niche" in french). 
Because the major trend cannot address their needs.

I think the "transition", for vms, whatether form it would take, is 
converting itself from the high quality general OS for mini-computers, 
to a specific mission critical ecosystem "niche" market. We need for 
this "transition" people with a real perception of mission critical 
specifics, able to restrict their ambition to a specific domain, able to 
find opportunities in an environment which is realy incompatible.

To be realist is not deploring an incompatible real for its needs, it is 
searching in the real interstices where it is possible to hook, take 
hold, set foot, excavate cavern,... and eat the bear.