[Info-vax] Rdb/x86

[IanD]

On Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 10:50:36 PM UTC+11, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> In article <d3100a4f-1183-4680... at googlegroups.com>,
> IanD <iloveo... at gmail.com> writes: 
> 
> > I've worked with rdb for just over 20 years and I thought after Oracle 
> > ended Oracle real on VMS I figured rdb would meet the same fate
> Rdb started at DEC. It was bought by Oracle via the argument that if it 
> stayed with DEC, then Oracle wouldn't offer Oracle "Classic" on VMS. 
> But development continued with pretty much the same people in the same 
> places. Rdb is a very small part of Oracle. Does Larry know about it? 
> Almost certainly. Does he know the syntax of RMU/UNLOAD? Probably not.
> > Somewhat disappointing the news wasn't via Oracle or vsi as an 
> > announcement, even chatter to say it's being worked on as an 
> > investigative endeavor
> This is OLD NEWS. The Rdb folks have said all along that if VMS runs on 
> x86 then so will Rdb. As an Oracle product, VSI couldn't announce it by 
> themselves. As for Oracle, again, it is a small part of the enterprise.
> > So vsi had no idea Oracle was working on rdb x86?
> Of course they did.
> > Oracle never had a complier problem or issue getting rdb running?
> The port can't have been that difficult, considering that this is the 
> fourth port (yes, there was Rdb for WNT).
> > What else might be being worked on that would be good for VMS users 
> > out there to know?
> Soon we'll hear about the web browser being developed by the skunk 
> works. :-)

I was making the point that if all these things were known then vsi could have been promoting this sort of stuff, even if unofficially

For example, look at how many people here, who are vms advocates and keep fairly well in the know about what's happening on vms, didn't really know the state of play with rdb on x86...

It's all fine to say 'of course' but assumptions don't make for sales or keep vms customers who are on fringe systems eyeing the door and potentially leaving

Risk drives everything and if the marketing arm of vsi is not getting the word out on every success and even potential success, then businesses will keep shedding vms to mitigate the risk that they are running on a dead platform

I've worked in at least 2 places now where vms has been marched out the door. 
One place might have even kept vms but it was too late, by the time I heard of their plans and created a simple web interface to their existing rdb platform to show what could be done, their decision to retire vms had already been concluded at the board level and funding approved for the replacement system

By the time the technical people hear of platform decisions, other marketing departments have already got in and sold the business their solutions

Lead times of 12++ months is typical in large companies for platform decisions, so throwing information into the public arena late is potentially letting your competitors have a head start and they are already out there pushing their glossy brochures and vaporware to lock in future sales

I happen to think vsi could have said a lot more about rdb on x86 because from my perspective they actually didn't say anything at all