[Info-vax] Eisner's PAKs, was: Re: Can't get hobbyist licenses from Openvmshobbyist

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <ci9mueF8d8qU4 at mid.individual.net>,
	bill at server3.cs.scranton.edu (Bill Gunshannon) writes:
> In article <ci9m6cF8d8qU1 at mid.individual.net>,
> 	bill at server3.cs.scranton.edu (Bill Gunshannon) writes:
>> 
>> Now, I am not saying they shouldn't try.  Create a usable (unlike HP's)
>> educational program, publicize it and hope for the best.  But I would
>> not recommend investing any resources that can be put to better use
>> somewhere else because the likelihood of success is very slim and ROI
>> is what matters the most.
> 
> I probably should have added, if such a program comes about before I
> retire for real (I have retired twice already but here I am back at my
> desk!) I would make sure people here were aware of it and would even
> be willing to set up something for them to use it.  Assuming someone
> also offered a usable (read free) emulator product that would allow
> such a system to be set up.  I can tell you unequivocably that it
> would have to be a totally no cost operation (beyond  my time, which
> I would donate gladly) for anyone here to even consider it.  And even
> given a system up and running, it would still be like pulling teeth
> to get anyone to use it.  Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
> Plan-9, Inferno, Amoeba, OS9000, more recently GT-M.
> 

OK, I hope y'all are satisfied.  You got me going again....

I just sat with the professor who teaches our OS courses and discussed
this subject.  First the bombshell.  Access to the source is not only
unnecessary but of no interest.  Well documented API's are what are
needed.  And, that means a book.  I am not talking about the grey wall
here.  As good as people here think the distributed documentation is,
it is not academic style or quality.  What is needed is a college level
text book on the internals and API's.  Does such a book exist?  Is
there anyone in the VMS community with the ability and the interest to
produce such a book?

Next, as I stated earlier, comes the amount of effort needed to
incorporate VMS into the course.  (VMS did get mention in the past,
but only in passing and not since Tannenbaum dropped it from his
book.)  And, as if there were not already enough obstacles, not only
does there have to be a reason for the professor to want to do this,
but you have to convince him that the students will also see value in
this.  Contrary to popular belief :-) students don't study for the
sake of studying.  They expect what they learn to translate into $$$
when they graduate.  Lack of value will not only make them shun a
course but could even result in their selecting a different school.
Scary, huh?

The good news is, I guess, given something that can meet these
requirements it is possbile that academia might come back into
the fold.

So, what's needed?  Good texts on internals and API's.  Marketing,
marketing and more marketing.  Not only to the business world but
to the academic world as well.  Maybe get some technincal articles
written and submitted to places like the ACM or the IEEE Computer
SIG.  And then you also need to get business and academic type
articles into things like The Chronicle of Higher Education.  And,
of course, as mentioned before a practical and usable academic
licensing program (I would look more at the idea of an Academic
Alliance with the license being merely a piece of administrivia
but one that will find acceptance in the academic environment.)

And here's one I came away with as a side note, but probably more
important than people here like to think.  POSIX.  VMS needs to
have a POSIX interface and it needs to be more deeply ingrained
in the OS itself and not just an overlay.  It didn't work for
EUNICE and it won't work here either.

So, there you have it.  The door isn't closed, but it isn't wide
open either.  Just a crack.  Now VSM needs to get it's foot in
the door before that crack goes away, too.  And it will.  Trust
me, any people with any interest in getting VMS back in academia
are going to be in the same clique as I am.  And I expect to see
a move to push me out the door this year as other than faculty the
academic environment doesn't have much use for dinosaurs.

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>