[Info-vax] Using VMS for a web server

[Dirk Munk]

bill at server3.cs.scranton.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> In article <mktg9v$6jo$1 at dont-email.me>,
> 	David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes:
>> 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?
>
> Beleive it or not, that is a question I often hear asked.  :-)
> The only stranger one is why is anyone still running Primos. (and they are)
>
>>
>> Aging personal, which usually means more expensive to hire ..
>>
>> Smaller pool of knowledgeable people ..
>>
>> More solutions available ..
>>
>> And so on ..
>>
>> So, why then is anyone still using VMS?
>
> See above.  Be careful what questions you ask.  People with the power
> to make decisions might be listening.
>
>>
>> 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?
>
> Name one.

Without naming one, there are quite a number of applications that people 
have tried to port to another O.S., and they didn't succeed.

Ans as others have pointed out frequently, VMS is capable of handling 
big loads and many users withe ease

>
>>
>>> * 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."
>
> bill
>