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

[Jan-Erik Söderholm]

Den 2019-10-25 kl. 17:53, skrev Dave Froble:
> On 10/25/2019 9:25 AM, Jan-Erik Söderholm wrote:
> 
>> We just signed support contracts for our Alphas.
>> There were no specific license fees. And the right
>> to use for x86-64 is included. Don't know if that
>> is different for IA64...
> 
> Ok Jan-Erik, you've already typed the above, but, I can be a bit slow, so, 
> can you be very specific?  Are you saying that by having a support 
> contract, you have the right to use VSI VMS?

Yes, we signed a three year contract. That might have been Alpha-specific.
I don't know, no Itaniums here. You have to ask VSI.

> That there are no license fees?

No. Nothing apart from the running support contract. Right to use VMS
including *all* layered products (that, I think, is Alpha-specific).

And, as I said, free port to x86-64 (not that I think that would ever
happen here).

> Yes, you mentioned Alpha.  I'd hope other architectures would also 
> be the same.

Ask VSI!

> That would be great, because to survive, I feel that VSI needs to rely on 
> support revenues, and, no up front license fees.

Fully agree. Periodical support fees is the future. Large license fees
belong to the past. Same thing with Office and other popular packages.

> 
> That still leaves the question of non-commercial use of VMS without support 
> an open issue.
>