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

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 7/29/20 11:14 AM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
 > 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.

To the majority of people who never had any background with VMS it
always was.  But today, especially.  Stick the disk in - boot it -
choose install - after it finishes and reboots use it with an easy
to familiarize with GUI.  And that ignores booting from the CD and
just using 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.

Once you are familiar with them I don't think most people will
be put off by PAKs.  Getting them on the system and loaded is
hardly rocket science.

 >
 > 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.

By present day standards all of VMS is quite user-hostile.  But, like
OS2200 or zOS or some of the other legacy holdouts it is worth it in
the long run.

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

You mean like Windows.  I prefer LMF.l

 >
 > 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.

That's what I said above.

 >
 > 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.

And you would think with as many times as this has already been said
people would have grasped it by now.

 >
 > 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.


For now, I just hope one of them works with ES40