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

[Dave Froble]

On 11/21/2019 2:46 AM, Alexander Schreiber wrote:
> Robert A. Brooks <FIRST.LAST at vmssoftware.com> wrote:
>> On 11/20/2019 9:31 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>
>>> Perhaps HPe will turn over to VSI all VMS stuff they have, including the HP
>>> versions, which would include VAX and the hobbyist program.
>>
>> We have the VAX sources, and could, if we wanted to, build
>> a VSI version of OpenVMS VAX.
>
> There is no expectation of that ever happening, because why would a company
> invest what I'm sure is by now a significant amount of engineering effort
> for no gain whatsoever?
>
>> We are not going to do that.
>>
>> Period.  End of discussion.
>
> And nobody in this thread is expecting that in my opinion. The discussion
> was around if there was a chance of either a continuing of the OpenVMS
> hobbyist program (for which the effort is limited to the issuance of
> licenses, a few orders of magnitude lower than a new VMS release) or an
> open end by issuing of non-expiring OpenVMS hobbyist licenses - both
> for VAX and Alpha, in order for hobbyist use of OpenVMS to be able to
> continue.
>
> Kind regards,
>           Alex.
>

The problem is, VSI can only issue licenses, or whatever, for releases 
that VSI has offered.  They cannot issue licenses for any releases of 
VMS they did not offer.  Not "will not", but "can not".

So, in order to issue licenses for VAX/VMS, VSI would have to make a 
release.  They most likely will not do so.  It does not seem to have any 
chance to benefit them.

Therefore, it seems that any future for VAX hobbyist usage must come 
from whoever holds the rights to the old releases of VAX/VMS, which 
right now seems to be HPe.

Note that VSI has released two (2) versions of Alpha VMS.

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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