[Info-vax] Final Orace release on VMS.

[Dave Froble]

On 11/15/2020 6:49 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> On 11/15/2020 10:22 AM, Dave Froble wrote:
>> 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.
>
> It is not just the relay application that need to be developed.
>
> They would also need to change all their applications from using
> Oracle client (whether embedded SQL or direct OCI calls) to interact
> with the relay. And that would be rather intrusive.
>
> And depending on what features are needed then the relay
> application may be more complicated. I would be a bit
> concerned about the transactional integrity.
>
> It can be solved. Oracle solved it with the way they
> support thin JDBC driver for Rdb. But most companies
> want to focus their development effort on the business
> problem and not on developing let us call it platform
> components.
>
> Arne
>

200 man years can be a rather telling incentive ....

Besides, I like developing "platform components" and "system software".

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      E-Mail: davef at tsoft-inc.com
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