[Info-vax] State of the OpenVMS hobbyist program?

[Simon Clubley]

On 2019-11-20, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) <helbig at asclothestro.multivax.de> wrote:
>
> What is the probability that, as mentioned in the first conference call, 
> VSI will have a hobbyist programme similar to that of HP at the time?  
> When can we expect it to be set up?
>
> At the same conference call, it was said that Alpha and x86 would be 
> supported in the same cluster, at least for migration, so presumably 
> there will be Alpha and x86 hobbyist licenses, or one which works for 
> both, though perhaps only for some VSI version of Alpha VMS.
>

You are coming across as having a bit of an entitlement complex Phillip.

You can't assume that whatever hobbyist licence VSI may come up with will
allow full access to the range of VMS capbilities. Didn't someone say that
the current VSI student kit doesn't have clustering support ?

You also can't even assume that VSI will finally decide to create a VSI
hobbyist licence. There is absolutely no obligation on them to do so.

I personally think VSI not creating a hobbyist program will be very
short term thinking on the part of VSI which will damage them, but that's
for VSI to decide. I just wish VSI would make up their minds quickly
so we know whether it's worthwhile to continue maintaining a VMS hobbyist
setup at home.

VSI will also need to be convinced that any hobbyist program will be used
within the constraints that VSI state, so anyone suggesting ideas to
work around the end of the existing hobbyist licences from HPE are just
damaging the prospect of any future hobbyist program from VSI.

To rephrase that: you are _not_ entitled to a free or low cost hobbyist
licence and if such licences are issued, any organisation issuing them
needs to be convinced they are going to be used within the constraints
the organisation have laid out. I think it's in the best interests of
VSI for them to maintain an active hobbyist program, but that's for VSI
to decide.

> If HPE have just one guy doing the hobbyist licenses, it can't be that 
> much work for VSI to set up.  Maybe someone here from the newsgroup 
> would even volunteer to do it for free.
>

And why would VSI go for the last bit ? Generating licences will require
access to certain resources that could be misused so it's something VSI
will need to keep tight control of, if only from the legal liability
point of view.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.