[Info-vax] VMS Software, Inc. Acquires All OpenVMS Support Business from Hewlett Packard Enterprise

[Ian Miller]

On Thursday, October 24, 2019 at 6:35:38 PM UTC+1, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2019-10-24, Ian Miller <gxys at uk2.net> wrote:
> > As part of its exiting the OpenVMS market, Hewlett Packard Enterprises
> > (HPE) has sold the rights to all its support contract renewals to VMS
> > Software, Inc. (VSI). Both HPE OpenVMS (V8.4 and earlier) and VSI OpenVMS
> > (V8.4-1h1 and higher) contract renewals were sold to VSI.
> 
> Unless there's something which has not been reported, I don't see how
> the above...
> 
> > When combined
> > with news earlier this year that HPE had stopped selling all new VSI
> > upgraded license products and new VSI support contracts, this means that
> > HPE has divested the controlling rights of the OpenVMS operating system
> > solely to VSI. 
> >
> 
> ...leads to this.
> 
> The term "controlling rights" has a very specific meaning and I don't
> see how VSI can now be described to have the controlling rights to VMS
> based purely on the transfer of all new contract renewal sales to VSI.
> 
> As far as I can see, VSI are now in a similar situation to Mentec, where
> Mentec was able to make changes to the PDP-11 operating systems and
> sell the PDP-11 operating systems, but they didn't actually legally own
> the PDP-11 operating systems as HPE still owns them.
> 
> For a question to clarify this: VSI have made a point of saying that
> they were not allowed to sell VAX/VMS and that they were only allowed
> to sell Alpha VMS and above.
> 
> Are VSI now legally allowed to sell VAX/VMS licences or does the legal
> agreement with HPE still stop VSI from selling VAX/VMS licences ?
> 
> If they are now allowed, that's great (from a legal freedom point of
> view), but if VSI are still not allowed to sell VAX/VMS licences,
> I don't see how VSI can be described as now holding the controlling
> rights to VMS and if so, the above text comes across as misleading
> and should be changed.
> 
> Perhaps a better term might be "exclusive marketing rights" or
> "exclusive sales rights", assuming that is now the case.
> 
> Now for a more practical question. Will HPE Engineering still be
> receiving a significant number of support calls for HPE VMS until
> the end of 2020 or will _all_ levels of support now be handled mostly
> by VSI because people will be forced onto VSI VMS as part of the
> contract renewal ?
> 
> If the latter, that implies most of HPE VMS Engineering might be going
> away sooner than the end of 2020 which makes me wonder when the HPE
> hobbyist program might be ended.
> 
> Simon.
> 
> -- 
> Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
> Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.


Effectively support is done by VSI now as they handle L2/L3 for all versions. 

I don't know if there is anyone left doing VMS Engineering at HPE. I wonder if they will do a final patch release for V8.4 before the end of 2020 then pack up shop.

Licences are a different question - ask HPE.