[Info-vax] openvms licensing

[johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk]

On Friday, 19 February 2016 10:15:31 UTC, johnwa... at yahoo.co.uk  wrote:
> On Friday, 19 February 2016 04:10:05 UTC, li... at openmailbox.org  wrote:
> > On Thu, 18 Feb 2016 15:58:37 -0600
> > Kevin Monceaux via Info-vax <info-vax at rbnsn.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 04:37:39PM +0100, hb via Info-vax wrote:
> > >  
> > > > For (simh) hobbyists it seems to be more convenient (should I say
> > > > simpler?) if there would be an option to have the file with paks, the
> > > > command procedure, shipped in a container file aka Logical Disk File.
> > > 
> > > Much easier.  It's also easy enough to create a "container" file with them
> > > in it.  A CDROM ISO image file can work wonders.  The last time I received
> > > new license files I stuck them in a directory, created an ISO image 
> > 
> > The commands for this step were not shown here. Non-trivial for the "I
> > can't copy/paste" crowd.
> > 
> > > of the
> > > files in that directory, added an entry like:
> > > 
> > >     attach -r rq3 /home/dokpm0/OpenVMS/Licenses.iso
> > > 
> > > to my SIMH VAX config file.  RQ3 was previously set as a CDROM drive with:
> > > 
> > >     set rq3 cdrom
> > > 
> > > Then after booting OpenVMS in SIMH I mounted the CDROM, copied the license
> > > files to my hard drive, then used:
> > > 
> > >     set file/attr=rfm:stmlf Hobbyist-USE-ONLY-VA.com
> > > 
> > >     set file/attr=rfm:stmlf TCPWare.com
> > > 
> > > to compensate for them being files copied from a Linux system.  Then:
> > > 
> > >     @Hobbyist-USE-ONLY-VA.com
> > > 
> > >     @TCPWare.com
> > > 
> > > was all that was needed to load the licenses.  It was the first time I
> > > tried that technique, and it was much easier than the way I used to do
> > > it.  
> > 
> > How is that even possible? Did you use to type them in manually? ;-)
> > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
> > My procedure is basically 3 steps.
> > 
> > 1. view the pak in my email client or text editor on the host, hit ctrl-a to
> > select all, ctrl-c to copy it
> > 
> > 2. edit newlic.com or similar on the VMS machine, ctrl-v to paste the data,
> > ctrl-z to save. 
> > 
> > 3. @newlic
> > 
> > Try as I might I just cannot see how expecting somebody who can't even
> > copy/paste to go through the gyrations to create and use a container file is
> > even a discussion. Actually I can't even see the usefulness of doing that
> > at all given regardless of whether you can or not when copy/paste is so
> > much simpler, faster, and direct.
> 
> And for the few who for whatever reason can't manage copy+paste, the
> two core PAKs can be done the tried tested proven and documented way
> that people used to use in the era of video terminals - use
> VMSLICENSE.COM and enter the small amount of critical data **by hand**
> from the supplied PAKs, no high technology involved.
> 
> But we haven't even reached that stage yet :(
> 
> Incidentally, as many of you will already know but a few may not,
> the oldVMS approach of hand entering some meaningless data (and
> some meaningful tracking info) is somewhat similar to the "modern"
> approach used on a Window box - by hand, enter a "product key"
> consisting of a couple of dozen meaningless characters. 
> 
> Except in the Window box version, the characters are printed
> in 2point font on a Certificate of Authenticity which came with
> the software or system in question. Get a single character wrong
> (e.g. by mixing zero and oh), re-enter the lot. And there's
> no concept of "tracking info" so you can see what keys are active
> where, without physically looking at the label/certificate(s)
> which are supposed to be stuck on the relevant box (thereby
> destroying the concept of user-specific licencing or floating
> licencing).
> 
> Some people should be careful what they wish for or they just might
> end up using what many other folk already have to put up with, which
> may or may not be an improvement.
> 
> I wonder what state FlexLM is in these days. 
> 
> Have a lot of fun.

In case anyone out there thinks I might be making a fuss over not much
wrt licensing, have a look at this 34 page MS white paper on how to
buy Visual Studio, and draw your own conclusion. Search for "Visual
Studio 2015 Licensing Whitepaper" and you should find it.

I don't know if it's a particularly bad example, but software development
is (or used to be) a crucial part of the MS ecosystem.

Bear in mind that, back in the day, the DECdirect Europe software
catalogue used to be able to explain most VMS licensing principles
(standalone, clusterwide, concurrent, named users, etc) in the space
of three (or less) not very dense pages. And I can still remember
the basics. No idea of the current HPQ picture though.

My previous employers' IT staff couldn't agree amongst themselves
on what the documented MS model meant for the team in which I was
working, especially in the "laptop based hot desking, with
exceptions" environment being proposed as the next "strategic IT
upgrade". Some will recognise this as one of the many cases where
the IT Department have "gone native" and ended up closer to their
favourite suppliers than to the needs of the organisation around
them.

Worse, the Strategic Sourcing (aka Purchasing) people wouldn't let
anyone talk officially to a Microsoft reseller with a clue (I have
dealt with one in the past; they have a copy of the whitepaper above:
http://www.greymatter.com/documents/pdf/00016402.pdf if the search
doesn't work for you).

If you do read the white paper, you'll soon notice that (with a
handful of largely irrelevant exceptions) a compiler/toolset now
requires a Visual Studio subscription at Professional or Enterprise
level- no such thing as a one time purchase. Which seems to be the
way MS are currently headed in general.

That's just licensing, of course. Then there's enforcement. Let's
not go there.

It's almost enough to make you wonder if MS would rather Windows
developers moved to gcc/clang, Eclipse, whatever. Maybe on an OS
other than Windows. Or maybe that's just me.

Despite all that, this is the stuff many "enterprise" people have
been choosing in recent years for much of their stuff. This, not
Apple (except in a tiny number of niche setups). Far more Linux
than Apple, where I've seen. Sometimes something completely
different as well, if the IT department understands that one size
does not always fit all.

Food for thought?

Have a lot of fun.