[Info-vax] Should VSI create a modern day VMS applications book ?

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 08/22/2018 10:26 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 8/22/2018 8:42 AM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> On 08/21/2018 10:41 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> But the companies that can change make money and those
>>> that are stuck in the old ways goes bankrupt.
>>
>> Yet another person that assumes new better - old bad.
> 
> Not really.
> 
> More like: even if something is good then it will eventually end up
> bad if it does not change.

The current COBOL users market (and it is bigger than some, especially
academia, would have you believe) find the pre-OOP COBOL to be more
than adequate for the job it was intended to do.  Heck, Unisys still
distributes and supports an ANSI X3.23-1974 COBOL Compiler as well as
an ANSI X3.23-1985 and a lot of people still use it.

> 
>>                                                      That's the
>> attitude that has done the most damage to VMS, you know.
> 
> I guess there are two opinions on VMS.
> 
> A) VMS is still great and people are stupid to want the new stuff.
>     So no need to improve VMS - just need to explain the truth to people.
> B) VMS was great but is no longer due to lack of the new stuff
>     that people want. So VMS need to be brought up to current standards.
> 
> I believe in #B.

As do I.  But, that's because the change was an improvement.  Not all
change is progress. It is important for businesses to know and react
to the differences.

> 
>> I know of places that changed and went bankrupt, too.  Change for
>> changes sake is folly.  Change should only bne done when the change
>> brings something of value to the table.
> 
> Sure.
> 
> There is good change and bad change.
> 
> And it is not even always obviously what is what when the
> decisions need to be made.

Oh, it is usually very obvious before you reach a critical point.
But things like NIH and religion frequently get in the way.

> 
> Otherwise it would be damn easy to run a business.

Many places have proven thru their success that it isn't as hard as
some would make it out to be.

bill