[Info-vax] Opportunity for VSI?

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 12/13/2018 5:40 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> On 12/13/18 4:17 PM, Milton Baar wrote:
>> On Friday, December 14, 2018 at 4:40:40 AM UTC+11, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
>>> On 2018-12-13 02:44:23 +0000, Milton Baar said:
>>>> So given that there are quite likely OpenVMS sites that are common, and
>>>> I personally know of quite a few that have both OpenVMS and SystemZ,
>>>> would VSI be interested in partnering with an Australian University?
>>>
>>> By "partnering" and "opportunity" here, may I presume that what is
>>> meant is "granting free software and free hardware, granting free
>>> hardware and software support and quite probably including on-site
>>> installation and maintenance, and granting an endowment* sufficient to
>>> cover staff and incidentals and sundries and the use of the
>>> University's name and reputation in associated advertising", right?
>>>
>>> Most schools are understandably interested in acquiring endowments
>>> after all, though—being endowments—these often do include terms and
>>> conditions.
>>>
>>> At least for the next several years, VSI would seemingly have a few
>>> other and higher-priority uses for any cash surfeit they might
>>> encounter.
>>>
>>> *big wads of cash with strings attached, in the vernacular.
>>
>> Or perhaps just granting an educational or discounted license...there 
>> is plenty of inexpensive hardware around...and I don't think an 
>> endowment would be either needed or likely.
>>
>> This could be a way for OpenVMS to be back in the educational sector 
>> with the possibly positive flow-on effects.  I don't think that the 
>> IBM arrangement is an act of charity on their behalf, they understand 
>> the benefits as DEC once did.
> 
> HP had a costless education license. It did not help keep VMS
> around Universities it was already at and certainly didn't
> bring it into new locations.  Trust me, I know.  I fought
> that battle until finally being told the equipment had to be
> removed.

Well - my experience is that DEC educational programs worked
pretty well in the 80's and 90's.

Free educational licenses for Alpha and I64 is not likely to
get much interest.

But free educational licenses and the ability to run on
x86-64 and more importantly VM's on that could get some
interest.

Not on every university offering CS degrees, but I would
consider any number greater than zero to be positive.

Arne