[Info-vax] Reimplementing VMS, was: Re: HP adds OpenVMS Mature Product Support beyond the end of Standard Support

[David Froble]

JF Mezei wrote:
> On 14-02-04 19:41, David Froble wrote:
> 
>> JF is now moving into his "special zone" ....
> 
> 
> When HP announced it was buying Compaq and outlined the future of all
> major products lines EXCEPT for VMS, I was labeled a kook because I saw
> something very wrong with this.  When the Stallard memo came out in May
> 2002, I was proven right but nobody noticed.

I think we all noticed.  It was something we didn't like, but, what can 
you do except try to influence some change to that company direction.

> The Stallard memo ended up being extraordinarily accurate depiction of
> HP's intentions for VMS. (except for the promise of an 8.* version of
> VAX VMS). Hp also broke later promises of VMS having long life on IA64
> when it will die before IA64.

Well, the itanic has been slipping beneath the waves slowly, since the 
day AMD introduced Athlon 64, and Intel slowly and grudgingly realized 
that instead of ruling the world with the itanic, they had better spend 
all their money and efforts on their own x86 product, or join DEC and 
Compaq.

We could hope for a port of VMS, until the day HP axed the developers.

> I seem to be good at spotting executives being forced to speak very
> carefully. Like Livermore making and pause after promising development
> and trying to gain market share for HP-UX and NSK, and continuing in a
> different tone, to promise to cater to the VMS intalled base to keep
> them happy. And because I seem to be the only one capable of noticing
> this, I get labeled as a kook.

What makes you think you're the only one who noticed it?

> I've got news for you: HP KILLED VMS.

Uh, perhaps not.  Perhaps they just watched it die after the fatal blow 
was struck by Palmer, and others in DEC back in the 1990s?  Huh?

And then denied life support by the Compaq board when they fired Pfifer 
(spelling).

> Or perhaps because the statement
> comes from me, you don't believe it and still think VMS has a bright
> future ahead and that HP will continue to fund IA64 beyond Kittson ?

The only possible, and not probatable, future for VMS is if the product 
can be obtained from HP, and there is enough of the developers (and 
others) available and willing to port it to x86, and add needed 
enhancements.

> Last year, Bell Canada was attempting to buy Astral (media company). I
> noticed a number of "careful" executive statements (and they were being
> very careful this time around because in 2012, their request to buyt
> Astral had been rejected). I noted those in my presentation and
> explained that in a merger, the buyer always assets its identity, and
> puts its onw staff at the helm.  The CRTC commissioners wondered what
> sort of evidence I had found that this would happen. "because an
> executive spoke suspiciously carefully on that subject" is not evidence
> a regulator can use.
> 
> Yet, all my predictions happened. Some much faster than I had anticipated.

Where the problem comes in, is where you go beyond what you're able to 
see.  Try sticking to the facts.  Don't invent things.