[Info-vax] openvms licensing

[David Froble]

Kerry Main wrote:

> In addition to the complexities you just mentioned, MS is also moving to
> core based server pricing from socket based. That is getting huge visibility
> within many Customer environments because it is not only extremely
> complex, but for Customers with 4 cores in a single socket, they now must
> pay quite a bit more for the same license they used to have. Most servers
> now come with at least 4 cores.

The thing about this is that for some years now single core CPU chips have not 
been manufactured.  AMD's San Diego chip, 90 nm, is arguably the fastest single 
core CPU ever made, since both Intel and AMD both declared all future chips 
would be multiple cores.  That was maybe 10 years ago, can't remember.

So the per core pricing model is something that doesn't give users any choice.

> At least VSI and HP have stayed with socket based pricing.
> 
> Course, I think it's great MS is doing this because it will make it easier for
> VSI to differentiate themselves from MS - especially if VSI comes out with
> a drop dead simple subscription licensing scheme option based on # of OS 
> host instances combined with a tier scheme - something like Dev, Work-
> station, Dept and Enterprise (or something similar).

This is my hope.  If they don't, I have concerns about their surviving.