[Info-vax] Using VMS for a web server

[Jan-Erik Soderholm]

David Froble skrev den 2015-06-06 02:55:
> terry+googleblog at tmk.com wrote:
>> On Friday, June 5, 2015 at 4:48:21 PM UTC-4, David Froble wrote:
>>> VMS is better at solving VMS problems than at solving Unix problems
>>> ..
>>
>> Neither of which is particularly relevant to the business community.
>> They have business problems*, not VMS or Unix problems. Most will
>> want to solve their business problems for the smallest cost that
>> accomplishes their goals of features / performance / security
>> (probably in that priority). In many cases, that involves hiring or
>> utilizing existing staff who are familiar with the tools used to
>> solve that business problem. VMS is going to be difficult enough to
>> sell to new customers (remember, on x86 it is competing with
>> "free"**) without also telling those customers that they will need to
>> find people with an obscure talent to not only manage the operating
>> system, but the applications that support the business, instead of
>> getting some of the widely available sysadmins / developers familiar
>> with Unix-type systems.
>
> If this is the case, then why are people still using VMS?
>
> Aging personal, which usually means more expensive to hire ..
>
> Smaller pool of knowledgeable people ..

I had a talk with a customer last week. We comment the fact
that there had been no support ticket regarding the platform
(HW, VMS and Rdb, more or less) since last reboot June-14.
And very few application level supports tickets b.t.w.
It's rock solid.

This is of course a good thing for the users, but it does not help
building and maintaining the knowledge in the support group. :-)
And that is actualy seen as a real problem...

But the system still does what it has done the last 30+ years,
the users are happy and we have several different projects for
additional functionallity. Mostly new connections to PLC's
and logging additional status from the assembly lines.



>
> More solutions available ..
>
> And so on ..
>
> So, why then is anyone still using VMS?
>
> Maybe what you suggest isn't accurate, or, maybe there is something else.
> Got to be something, because there are still people using VMS, and I doubt
> VSI could have raised one cent if they didn't know who these people are,
> and could count on their continued usage of VMS.
>
> I doubt it's a holdover thing.  It's been over 15 years since DEC started
> pushing Unix and weendoze.  Anybody that could use the Unix or weendoze
> systems is most likely long gone.  Why is anyone left?
>
> Perhaps there are VMS problems that customers can use VMS to solve in the
> most effective manner?
>
>> * This is a particular point with me because as a fresh-out-of-school
>> kid I interviewed with Data General for a software development
>> position and completely flunked the "why are we here" part of the
>> interview. It isn't to sell computers, or have the best product - it
>> is to provide something that lets customers solve their problems in a
>> more effective manner than if they bought from the competition. All
>> else follows on from that.
>>
>> ** And who might buy software and support from VSI, but who might not
>> want HP hardware for any one of a number of reasons. There's a famous
>> quote from a school (not mine) from when DEC cancelled the Jupiter
>> project: "We're switching to Unix because then we will have a huge
>> choice of vendors to screw us."