[Info-vax] vax vms licenses

[Phillip Helbig undress to reply]

In article <t4cl6b$6un$4 at dont-email.me>, Simon Clubley
<clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> writes: 

> On 2022-04-27, Kerry Main <kemain.nospam at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Subscription models with exceptions for some Customers who require perpetual
> > is the way to go in the future and that appears to be the way VSI is
> > heading.
> >
> 
> People don't have to worry about either Microsoft or Oracle going
> bust in a few years.
> 
> They do have to worry about if they go with this small non-mainstream
> company called VSI, will they lose their job in a couple of years if
> VSI goes bust and their VMS systems stop working ?

Indeed.  The fact that many here can't get a VAX license shows that the 
fear is real.  We have seen VMS owned, and neglected, by DEC, Compaq, 
and HP.  While I think that VSI really cares about VMS, I see a real 
problem in the license stuff.

I'm just a hobbyist now.  I used VMS in academia for almost 10 years, 
then worked at a big VMS shop for a bit more than 20.  I don't know what 
the future holds.  Personally, wearing my hobbyist hat, it might be 
better to stick to small Alphas and the few commercial licenses I 
actually bought back in the day rather than move to VSI.  It's just not 
worth the trouble to move and then live with the fear that it can go 
away at any time.  Yes, I could go back, but then I would have to 
rewrite things or make sure that I use no new features.  If it's not 
worth it for a hobbyist, how could it be worth it for a commercial 
entity.

As a hobbyist, I am happy that the hobbyist license existed and that the 
community license exists.  It allowed me to play with many things.  But 
life is short and I don't want to invest too much in something which 
could go away at any time.  I'll probably never have the need to buy a 
commercial VSI license.  On the other hand, I would, even as a hobbyist, 
and pay a (for me) substantial sum, if it were non-expiring.  That is 
revenue which VSI would not otherwise have.

Why not some sort of escrow setup?  VSI creates for each customer a 
non-expiring license and deposits it with a notary or whatever.  The 
license comes with paperwork describing how to access that license 
should VSI stop producing licenses.  According to VSI, there is no real 
danger, so that would never come to pass.  Even if it did, only if VSI 
ceases to exist, so no loss to VSI.  Potentially many customers who 
would otherwise leave VMS and thus VSI, and perhaps even some new 
customers.

It would be nice if someone from VSI could say what is wrong with that 
idea and how it would negatively impact VSI.