[Info-vax] OpenVMS graphics - once more

[Phillip Helbig undress to reply]

In article <mrb5q4$1bb$1 at dont-email.me>, David Froble
<davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes: 

> So back to the topic.  Users can have what they need.  VSI might not be
> able to fund and work on everything.  They will have to pick and choose.
> It just doesn't seem to me that they have some huge demand for a new
> browser.  Nor for a windowing system.  Some demand, yes.  Huge, no. 
> 
> So, where do you think their limited funding and efforts should be
> spent? 

Yes, choices must be made.  But presumably VSI would be happy to expand 
VMS beyond the current user base.  That's part of the idea of getting it 
to run on truly commodity hardware.  VMS used to be used in many places 
where it is no longer.  Why was that possible back in the 1980s and 
early 1990s but is no longer possible today?  Primarily because of lack 
of a good browser.  Consider Linux.  Most people don't use Office 
applications or whatever on it, but they do a lot of stuff with 
browsers.

Get VMS to run on reasonably cheap hardware, offer a license somewhere 
between hobbyist and commercial, and there could be an additional 
revenue stream.

I think there needs to be a license for non-commercial but non-hobbyist 
stuff, for a relatively small fee.  Most such people would not buy a 
full-cost commercial license, but many would be happy to pay a more 
reasonable price.

I also think it would be a good idea to competitively price even full 
commercial licenses, and have support, at various levels and prices, 
completely separate from this.