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

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 11/22/19 8:19 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2019-11-21, Bill Gunshannon <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 11/21/19 7:59 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>>
>>> First, I'm guessing there were more VAX licenses issued than all the
>>> rest combined.  DEC sold the licenses.  They were perpetual, even if
>>> only for the system and customer.  Not sure how many exist.
>>>
>>> Is it legal?  Well, some might argue that DEC is no longer around to
>>> suffer harm.  Then the question might be, is it better for things to no
>>> longer exist, or, is it better for some harmless use to be obtained from
>>> them?  If some owner of the IP was still attempting to get revenue from
>>> them, then no, it is not legal.  That isn't happening.
>>>
>>> Hell, Trump is legal, even if he's a lying, back stabbing asshole ....
>>>
>>> Please don't get me started ....
>>>
>>> As for getting caught?  Most likely no chance of that.  First the entity
>>> bring charges would need a copy of the license to prove it was theirs.
>>> Figure the odds of such paperwork still existing.  After the move to
>>> Compaq, then HP, very small chance.
>>>
>>> If one was to just start typing and just by chance the LMF allowed that
>>> the random typing worked, is that stealing?  One might cry out
>>> "copyright".  I've got to wonder if the copyright is in the executibles.
>>>    I know it's in DCL command procedures.  Don't use them.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Arne,
>>
>>    I rest my case.
>>
>> bill
>>
> 
> Even if David doesn't care about the legal issues, I hope he realises
> that comments like this harm the chances of a VSI hobbyist program
> ever existing when people look at the above types of comments and
> wonder if trying to provide free access to VMS to hobbyists is worth it.
> 

I said long ago (and still hold the opinion today) that this kind of
attitude prevented the existence of a hobbyist program for the Mentec
owned PDP-11 OSes.

bill