[Info-vax] How about RdB for x86 VMS?

[Thomas Wirt]

On 9/5/2014 3:27 PM, David Froble wrote:
> JF Mezei wrote:
>> On 14-09-04 23:04, David Froble wrote:
>>
>>> Don't know why anyone is worrying about dates.  IA-64 will be around
>>> more than long enough.
>>
>> But you aren't going to get any new customers for VMS until it is on
>> x86.  It is silly for a shop to decide to move to VMS now. It is an
>> antique abandonned operating system (with hope of revival) on a dead
>> hardware platform.
>>
>> Until VMS is on x86 and we see a roadmap with faster pace of development
>> once the engineers are unleashed, it will not be a marketable product
>> outside the installed base.
>
> I'm going to bet my special "betting dollar" on this.  My bet is that
> initially the VSI plan is looking pretty much only at the existing
> customers.  Perhaps there are more than you allow for?
>
> Really, is anything else reasonable?  I think not.  It's hard enough to
> sell to new customers when you have a product ready.  With no product,
> it would be unreasonable.
>
> Crawl, then walk, then run ....
>
> The crawl hasn't even started yet.  Give the youngster a chance.

I completely agree.  Right now you can not run VMS on the latest IA64 
hardware.  In less than 12 months you will be able to run VMS on it. 
VSI understands that the immediate issue is not getting new customers. 
It is keeping existing customers from fleeing.  For anyone that is 
already using VMS for business, IA64 is a really good, cost effective 
solution.  For those of us buying VMS products this is not a surprise. 
I dare anyone to tell me about how unaffordable their migration of VMS 
to IA64 was.  I doubt I will get any credible stories.

Until VSI fails to show reasonable progress as described by their 
admittedly vague road map, I will be glad and hope for the best.

-- 

Thomas Wirt
Operations Manager, IS Dept.
Kittle's Home Furnishings
Indianapolis, IN