[Info-vax] Rdb/x86

[Phillip Helbig undress to reply]

In article <rplo4b$vub$1 at dont-email.me>, Simon Clubley
<clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> writes: 

> As part of that decision, they will want to see that x86-64 VMS has,
> or will shortly have, a critical mass of other people using the same
> platform in order to make that platform viable. To that manager, it
> doesn't matter what products those other people are using; it only
> matters that enough people are going to be using VMS on x86-64 to make
> it a relatively safe decision for that manager to also take.

The announcement that Rdb is available for x86-VMS tells the manager 
nothing about whether enough people will be using VMS on x86-64 to make 
it a relatively safe decision for that manager to also take.

How many customers can Oracle keep by porting to x86?  How much did the 
port cost?  Do the benefits outweigh the costs?  Probably, since 
othewise they wouldn't have done it.  But, for example, say that enough 
customers are kept that Oracle's revenue is 1 million higher than it 
otherwise would have been, and that that covered the cost.  That might 
mean just a few customers---enough for it to be worth it for Oracle, but 
perhaps not enough to mean that VMS on x86 is viable.

> By that measure, Oracle formally announcing that they are porting Rdb
> to x86-64 VMS is a major sign of commitment to x86-64 VMS and a major
> confidence boost that x86-64 VMS may end up with enough users to make
> it a long-term viable platform.
> 
> This only helps however if those other managers know about this and if
> those same managers see a stream of _public_ activity from VSI marketing
> about all the other products and users coming to x86-64 VMS which helps
> to increase confidence that VMS on x86-64 is a reasonable option for
> that manager's organisation to be using.

Any manager who would base his decision on whether Rdb was on x86 VMS 
already knows that Rdb will run on x86 VMS.

> > How many sales were the result of that video?
> 
> Wrong question. The correct question is how many people were able to
> continue using VMS within their organisation because they and their
> managers saw HP treating VMS as an actively supported product ?

OK, let's see it that way.  My guess is that a large fraction of paying 
VMS customers use Rdb, but those already know it, so the question is 
whether the non-Rdb customers will be convinced to stay on VMS because 
Rdb is running on VMS.  But, as mentioned above, that tells them only 
that the port was worth it for Oracle, not whether a critical mass has 
been achieved.