[Info-vax] Final Orace release on VMS.

[Marc Van Dyck]

Dave Froble submitted this idea :
> On 11/15/2020 8:22 AM, Marc Van Dyck wrote:
>> Dave Froble wrote :
>
>>> For example, if there were services on the database servers, or other
>>> systems that could directly access the Oracle database servers,, which
>>> would act as an middleman between the application systems and the
>>> Oracle database servers.  Then for example the VMS systems would
>>> "talk" to the middleman application(s), and no longer need the Oracle
>>> client software locally.
>>>
>> Not going to happen.
>
> If that is the knee-jerk reaction to any suggestions, then it most definitely 
> won't happen.
>
>> If we need to dedicate significant amounts of
>> resources to develop something just to keep the OpenVMS platform in
>> business, the decision will certainly be to dedicate those resources
>> to eliminate that platform from our IT landscape once for all.
>
> What I mentioned is what I commonly refer to as a relay.  Basically a 
> communications application.  I've implemented some to get between VMS 
> applications and communications with services available on the internet, 
> mainly due to the shortcomings of the TCP/IP and SSL/TLS available on VMS.
>
> Obviously the design of such an appliance will depend heavily upon the 
> required communications.  But "significant amounts of resources" is not in 
> that picture.  Something like that should take much less than a single man 
> year, and you mentioned the alternative is perhaps 200 man years.
>
> As a possible incentive, I have no idea of the cost of Oracle client for VMS 
> including support, but such a relay would not incur such costs, perhaps 
> actually saving some costs, and that would be yearly savings vs a single 
> development cost.
>
> But I'm not involved, don't have any horse in this race, and whether the 
> concept gets a fair consideration isn't really my affair.

It is not a knee-jerk reaction, much more some manifestation of 
despair.
But I'm not going to lose any chances, and will certainly propose this
kind of construction as a "workaround". I have to. But I'm almost
certain of what the reaction will be.

By the way, with the kind of Oracle licenses we have, the oracle client
on OpenVMS costs us nothing. It's just part of the total package.

-- 
Marc Van Dyck