[Info-vax] The VSI Hobbyist program is Live!

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2020-07-28 21:52:01 +0000, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply said:

> In article <c55e9dad-38d6-443d-a83e-0585bb7befd0o at googlegroups.com>,
> David Goodwin <dgsoftnz at gmail.com> writes:
> 
>> Why is registration necessary? Given I can download and install linux 
>> (and even Windows!) without filling out any forms why does VSI insist 
>> on it?
> 
> Because VMS is not Linux.  If you want something which behaves like 
> Linux, use Linux.

It's interesting that Linux is now being viewed as being more user 
friendly, isn't it.

>> How many people are going to think about giving it a try only to be put 
>> off by a registration form and having to mess around with license PAKs? 
>> Seems like an unnecessary barrier to me.
> 
> Almost everyone already has such experience.

I have LMF scars here too, and I know how this PAK 🤮 works better than most.

A chunk of the complexity and confusion here whether with LMF or with 
product packaging—IP being a separately-installed kit, for 
instance—dates back to every hunk of OpenVMS being extra-cost.

VSI has dropped to two license PAKs with OpenVMS Alpha, and which is a 
substantial improvement over the past. More than a few folks had issues 
with those omnibus hobbyist PAK files getting corrupted, too. And the 
VSI commercial PAK purchase and distribution mechanism is still a mess, 
and in various dimensions. But I digress.

But by present-day standards, LMF is quite user-hostile.

A more recent approach would have a license that was a checksum string 
only, and not the complexity of an LMF PAK.

A current approach would have you sign into your VSI account with your 
VSI password, and your purchases and entitlements then be automatically 
loaded onto the OpenVMS system. Or you downloaded one platform 
provisioning file for offline use.

VSI will head in the user-accounts direction eventually, but that will 
require building a fair chunk of infrastructure both at VSI and into 
OpenVMS (connecting the forums access and such), and likely involves 
work around telemetry and other adjuncts.

>> If getting it in as many hands as possible to grow the number of 
>> OpenVMS users is the goal an ISO with the licenses pre-loaded would 
>> provide a much quicker and easier experience.
> 
> I don't think that that is the goal.

That has long been the central goal; to increase the pool of folks with 
OpenVMS admin and development experience.

Creating pre-configured systems was actively discussed with HPE too, 
and will be raised with VSI.

OpenVMS is comparatively hostile to new users, as you should well realize.

Particularly with the arrival of x86-64 and virtualization, there'll be 
further discussions with VSI and likely eventually downloadable and 
preconfigured OpenVMS guests.

> If it turns out to be roughly equivalent to the old hobbyist license we 
>  should count our blessings.
> 
> Presumably Alpha, Itanium, and x86 options are available.  Does Alpha  
> have to be a VSI release of VMS for Alpha?

VSI PAKs work only with VSI products, and HPE PAKs work only with HPE products.

VSI PAKs do not work with HPE products, and HPE PAKs do not work with 
VSI products.

VSI hobbyist works only with VSI products.

You'll here need to upgrade to VSI OpenVMS Alpha V8.4-2L1 or to the 
EV6-only VSI OpenVMS Alpha V8.4-2L2; to a VSI OpenVMS release after 
V8.4.

-- 
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC