[Info-vax] VMS internals design, was: Re: BASIC and AST routines

[Simon Clubley]

On 2021-11-25, Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
> On 11/25/2021 1:25 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> 
>> I doubt many would have joined you.
>
> I think most would.
>
> Those running VMS today are mostly those without an easy way off
> VMS.
>
> Continuing with VMS is what they want.
>
> They are very interested in that VMS has a future. If not then
> migration becomes necessary at some point in time.
>
> So the confidence in VSI completing the port is very important.
> But the timeline is less important.
>

The problem Arne is that in many companies, those who want to stay
on VMS are not those who actually make the final decision about whether
to stay on VMS.

Those kinds of decisions are usually made one or two levels higher up
and those people tend not to have an emotional bond to VMS and they also
want to take what they perceive as the safer decision (both for them and
for their pension.)

Saying that a port to x86-64 would be available in about 8 years is
not the kind of thing that endears you to those types of managers. :-)

> Sure a x86-64 box is way more powerful and way cheaper than
> Itanium and old Alpha's. But the Itanium's and Alpha's can
> still do the job those VMS users need.
>
> The drop dead time is when IslandCo can no longer deliver
> Itanium's and Alpha's.
>

Alpha not so much, because full system emulation is available.

But yes, for Itanium, when replacement physical boxes are no longer
available is when the real problems start to occur.

It really is a pity that a full system emulator was never developed
for the Itanium architecture. That would have given people a few more
options.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.