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

[Mark Berryman]

On 11/21/19 11:40 AM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 11/21/2019 12:58 PM, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
>> In article <qr6be1$68t$1 at dont-email.me>, Dave Froble
>> <davef at tsoft-inc.com> writes:
>>
>>> 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".
>>
>> Probably "may not".
>>
>>
> 
> Perhaps this is a language issue?
> 
>  From what VSI has said about the HP agreement, they "CAN NOT" issue 
> licenses, patches, and such to any older version of VMS that they did 
> not themselves release.
> 
> I understand "may not" as something that is optional.

 From what I was taught in my various english classes,

Can not means "physically incapable"
May not means "lacking permission"

So, VSI may not issue VAX licenses because they do not, and will not, 
have a VAX release of their own and do not have permission from HPE to 
issue VAX licenses for any of their releases.

(For completeness, because the word "may" can also be used in a context 
that refers to probability, the phrase "may not" can also be used to 
indicate "less than likely", or some other level of probability less 
than 1.  E.g. if he keeps that up he may not be able to finish the race).

Relatively few people in the good ol' USA use the terms correctly, 
anymore than they know the difference between lie and lay, who and whom, 
affect and effect, your and you're, etc.)

Mark Berryman