[Info-vax] OT: news from the trenches (re: Solaris)

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On Fri, 13 Mar 2015 15:01:28 -0400
David Froble via Info-vax <info-vax at rbnsn.com> wrote:

> Our application needs VMS.  It doesn't need any particular CPU or 
> architecture.  It just needs VMS.  There will not be any port or 
> re-write.  The people and funding is just not available.
> 
> So, I run on VMS, or I don't run an application at all.

Understood.

> Ok, so far nothing about x86.  Now I can get to that.  Good or bad, it 
> has survived, and dominated.  It probably will be around for some years 
> yet.  If that's all that I can use, in the near future, for VMS, then 
> with what I've stated above, it's going to be VMS on x86 or no VMS and 
> I'm out of business.

I'm sure nobody at VSI is going to change course because of anything I
write.

> Good or bad, what would you choose?
> 
> Do I despise Intel.  Yes.  I do so because of their attitude.
> 
> Years ago DEC had a floating point problem on the VAX 11/750.  When 
> discovered, their immediate reaction was to engineer a fix and then 
> update all the 750s in customer hands.  DEC's attitude was that a 
> floating point error was not acceptable.

That reminds me of the old HP. There is a story, I don't remember the
details very well, that one of the founders heard of a bug in one of the
calculators (HP-35?) and told the engineers to get it fixed and replace all
the units in the field right away. The engineer said something like "we'll
end up giving the units away for what it's going to cost to replace them"
and the story goes the founder's pencil snapped from anger and he explained
in unequivocal terms that bad designs in customers' hands was not
acceptable. There was a time when that was a lot more common.

> Two different attitudes.  One I can admire.  One I despise.
> 
> I buy AMD.  Yes, you'll consider it as bad as Intel.  It's all I can do 
> to show my attitude with regard to Intel's attitudes.

I hear you. And I think that's the right way to go. You have to vote with
your wallet.

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