[Info-vax] VAX VMS going forward

[John Reagan]

On Friday, July 17, 2020 at 12:41:58 PM UTC-4, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> In article <9513122f-5615-4d7c-b9aa-f97699920cfdo at googlegroups.com>,
> Alice Wyan <finitud at gmail.comwrites: 
> 
> > If I understand the situation correctly, HPE is completely dropping
> > support for VAX VMS, but the rights haven't been transferred to VSI.
> > This means starting next year VMS on the VAX is essentially abandoned. 
> 
> Right.  I can understand VSI having little interest in it; it surely 
> couldn't be justified financially.
> 
> > If HPE is no longer going to be making money out of it, what would be
> > stopping them from selling it/give the rights away to, say, a hobbyist
> > collective that could be set up to preserve this system? 
> 
> Nothing, except that they figure that it is not worth their time.
> 
> > I guess there'd be quite a legal mess of rights behind the old code,
> > but... 
> 
> I'm sure that they have a lot of experience with that, and the situation 
> wouldn't be that much different than Alpha or Itanium.
> 
> > would it be a doable thing? 
> 
> Certainly.
> 

I have said several times, to several people, in several forums: The day you ask me to starting making VAX compilers again is the day we'll start planning my retirement party.  I ain't got no time for that stuff.  The thought of the VAX VCG and PL/1 (much of the VCG is written in PL/1) is a hard NO.  I will use my safeword on that one.