[Info-vax] What Will Drive More OpenVMS Adoption?

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 12/6/2021 2:07 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2021-12-05, Chris Townley <news at cct-net.co.uk> wrote:
>> On 05/12/2021 11:30, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
>>> In article <soi3r4$8c2$1 at dont-email.me>, Chris Townley
>>> <news at cct-net.co.uk> writes:
>>>
>>>> On 05/12/2021 08:57, William wrote:
>>>>> Some sort of free license so that open source developers can do
>>> OpenVMS ports and so that sites like GitLab can give projects an option
>>> of including OpenVMS in CI pipelines.
>>>
>>>> Isn't the community/hobbyist license just that? Or the ISV scheme?
>>>
>>> Hobbyist?  No.  ISV?  Probably.
>>
>>   From the VSI Website:
>>
>> With the VSI Community Li?ense Program, members of the community can
>> download OpenVMS for free for learning, open source development, and
>> exchanging knowledge of the operating system on Alpha and Integrity
>> systems. This program replaces the HP Hobbyist program.
>>
> 
> I just had a look at the licence itself to see if it makes things
> clearer and it actually confuses things a little bit more. :-)
> 
> |Non-commercial means not used for commercial advantage, direct monetary
> |compensation, or indirect monetary compensation.
> 
> What is "indirect monetary compensation" ? Would this include getting
> a pay rise or a new job as a result of learning a new skill using the
> hobbyist licence ?

Not likely. Impossible not to learn something that could potentially
be beneficial in some way.

Common sense says:

Commercial advantage => you cannot run your businesses accounting on the 
system.

Direct monetary compensation => you cannot let your neighbor run his 
business accounting on the system for 50 pound per month.

Indirect monetary compensation => you cannot let your neighbor run his 
business accounting on the system and he clears snow from your driveway
in return.

> |You will not modify, reverse engineer, disassemble, decrypt, decompile, or
> |make derivative works of the Software. Where You have other rights mandated
> |under statute, You will provide VSI with reasonably detailed information
> |regarding any intended modifications, reverse engineering, disassembly,
> |decryption, or decompilation and the purposes therefore.
> 
> Does this prohibit some forms of security research ?

Seems likely. The prohibition against disassemble and decompile could
be a problem.

> |In partial consideration of the license granted hereunder, you agree to
> |provide reasonable participation in the online Software community forums,
> |including without limitation such activities as answering questions and
> |contributing articles and how-to videos to the OpenVMS online Software
> |community at https://forum.vmssoftware.com.
> 
> Do VSI enforce this,

I have never heard of it.

>                       or would taking part in comp.os.vms instead be enough ?

It is pretty broadly worded.

Arne