[Info-vax] Why it is a good idea that OpenVMS isn't on x86-64 just yet

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2016-01-18 15:00, Kerry Main wrote:
> Most system vendors systems are driven by marketing and positioning
> to target markets.
>
> One possible example is things like removing NOOP's in ucode, adding a
> few tweaks & selling the new ucode as an enhancement to an existing
> system. Yes, they might throw in a new label to attach to the system, add
> new p/n's etc so it has the appearances and justification for the $'s spent.
>
> They might also do things like purposely slowing down benchmarks on
> one system so that a more favored system from the marketing groups
> is easier to position as "better".
>
> Pure speculation of course ..
>
> :-)

Oh, I know the stories. There have been plenty over the years. How many 
of them actually are true is a different story, though...

For the 11/750, I seriously doubt this would have been the case, but I 
obviously don't know for sure.
But let's say the VAX-11/750 could perform on par with the 11/780. 
Wouldn't have made much more sense to just price the 11/750 a little 
cheaper than the 11/780, and just stop producing the 11/780. The margins 
on the 11/750 would have been much greater, since it would cost way less 
than the 11/780 to produce.
So customers would have gotten the same performance at a lower price, 
and DEC would have made much more money... Can't see how they could have 
refused that.

	Johnny