[Info-vax] OpenVMS in the future, Open sourced or Closed? Intent is to keep it...

[IanD]

On Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 4:58:40 PM UTC+10, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> In article <4798fba4-9c29-475e-aa3f-1985b2a02849 at googlegroups.com>, IanD
> <iloveopenvms at gmail.com> writes: 
> 
> > As OpenVMS is ported to what-ever (x86, ARM, xyz), It would be interesting 
> > to know if VSI's intent is to open source OpenVMS where possible or keep it
> > a closed source system
> 
> Why should they open-source it?

I'll reciprocate by asking you, why not?

Here's my reasons for why...

It worked very well for linux

Linux didn't even have the huge corporate backing that Digital had yet it trashed the arse off OpenVMS in terms of deployment and market share and it continues to grow, even taking out the number one spot for new markets like mobile and tablets (in terms of numbers)

Seems like a winning solution when compared

Do you think keeping it closed source is going to be the best model going forward?

> 
> > That being, I'm wondering if VSI will be open sourcing the new stack or 
> > keeping it closed
> 
> Why should they open-source it?
> 

Because it serves no purpose keeping it closed when time to market and features are required in a fairly small time frame

Opening up the source gets you access to a bigger spread of people, assuming you can get them interested in the project from the beginning

Everything about the TCP stack I have written is of course predicated on the wording 'new'

If it is indeed a licence deal from progress, then obviously open source isn't an option

If new mean being written from scratch, then why not open source? 

What benefits do you believe are gained from having the source closed (I've given my reasons why I think it could be open sourced, let's hear why you think it shouldn't or let's hear your opinion on if it should/shouldn't be)

> > At some point, assuming the OS lives long enough, most things would have
> > been rewritten and might eventually be free from the shackles of the HP
> > licencing restrictions, it would be interesting to know if VSI have the
> > intent of releasing OpenVMS to the greater community or whether they
> > intend on keeping it closed 
> 
> What greater community?
> 

The community that you hopefully will help draw in by your positive view on OpenvMS and being part of rebuilding it again, if indeed, that is something you aspire to :-)

A community is built from the ground up unless one can rent a developer crowd :-)

Open source fosters communities in the purest sense because those that choose to participate do so out of willingness to be part of something that is both greater than themselves
 
OpenVMS has some great features but it's old and is showing it's age greatly and I also think a number of us (myself included) lived in an OpenVMS bubble in terms of not realising just how far behind the rest of the world it has gotten itself

I am merely making the point that to give OpenVMS the greatest possible chance, open source 'could be' part of the solution. I don't think OpenVMS has the luxury of picking a single model to move forward on, I think it needs to look at everything possible

> I also doubt that most of VMS will ever be re-written.

I'd love to have your crystal ball, it seems to be better than mine in knowing the exact future of OpenVMS and exactly how it's future will unfold

They said the same thing about RDB too when Oracle got it's slimy hands on it, yet years later, a large portion of the code had been rewritten, if one can believe Oracle about such things

Windows has been rewritten over the years, linux too, is it so hard to believe that this could not happen for OpenVMS as well assuming it lives on?