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

[seasoned_geek]

On Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 6:33:31 AM UTC-5, IanD wrote:
> 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?
> 

Please do not compare little league baseballs to guided missiles.

I use Linux for my desktop, have for years. I use Linux in embedded systems with Qt, have for years. That said, Linux is neither secure nor robust. Linux CANNOT be allowed to run a steel mill, paper mill, or God forbid, nuclear power plant. Within a week of a single nuclear power plant converting to Linux we will all look back at Chernobyl fondly as a "minor hiccup".

Thanks to INTEL and Microsoft dumbing down the human species in general we constantly have people "thinking" <cough><cough><hack><hack> that one million units of something which is near worthless is __somehow__ "better" than ten units of something which can be trusted to control nuke plants with a contiguous up-time measured in decades. My nephew, when it was real little, used to think bottle caps were money too.

When you are OpenSource, you cannot be trusted. That means you cannot be used to run critical systems for the NSA and other "alphabet soup" agencies. They don't have the luxury of loading something as soft as Windows or Linux.

My God man, just take a look at Sony!!!!!!!!!

Do you ___really___ want North Korea or (insert country that is pissed at us here) to be able to hack into the power grid, a nuke plant, a steel mill, paper mill, (insert place which will have massive number of deaths and make for spectacular headlines here) on any given day of the week? The first strike of the "next big war" won't be military, nor will it require a single agent "in country." It will come with a coordinated hack against industries running pathetic commodity operating systems while providing essential functions.

Yes, most MBAs have their head sooooo far up their arse believing a knock-off pair of blue jeans from Wal-mart which won't last 7 wash cycles is a way better deal than a pair of real jeans that will last 10-15 years getting weekly wear that one can only see their navel above their legs. That doesn't mean VMS should be reduced in quality or in platform to a knock-off pair of blue jeans.

What you and others are doing in pursuing this OpenSource for VMS course is taking away the single line of defence we have from that massive coordinated attack. The people who __really__ need VMS to stay close, secure, and trusted, without any of this "open" stuff rolled into it are barred by their employment contract from coming here and saying so.

Please don't take away the one weapon in their arsenal because you and others mistakenly believe Wal-mart is something good.