[Info-vax] The real problem that needs solving to grow VMS

[Dan Cross]

In article <tncms9$2qee4$1 at dont-email.me>,
Dave Froble  <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>On 12/14/2022 8:59 AM, Dan Cross wrote:
>> In article <tk9jug$12ar$1 at gioia.aioe.org>,
>> Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>> If VSI goes bust - which there is no indication that it will - and
>>> if there is noone picking up VMS - which seems unlikely if there
>>> are companies willing to pay - and it falls unlucky at the
>>> end of a license period and if the server is critical and if
>>> they did not negotiate and got a forever license from VSI, then
>>> it would be a problem.
>>>
>>> But that is a lot of if's.
>>
>> That _is_ a lot of if's, but still "what if?"s that need to be
>> addressed, and none of them are relevant to Linux.  A small
>> likelihood of catastrophic failure is still non-zero; why chance
>> it when one need not?
>
>Many can play the ""what if" game ...
>
>Would we ever have left the caves, if some were willing to try something new, or 
>in the case of VMS, something old?
>
>You seem to think Linux is a better choice.  Fine.  But that doesn't make you 
>right, or wrong.  Just different.

Incorrect; see below.

>Bottom line, some of us like VMS.  The question is, why do you attempt to talk 
>us out of it?

This is where you guys don't get it.

You say you like VMS?  I don't believe you, because if you liked
it, if you wanted to see it thrive and continue to be useful,
then you'd face up to the fact that you have to answer a lot of
hard questions.  Now, in late 2022, not 30 years ago, and not by
deflection or appeal to the storied reputation of the distant
past.

You'd better figure out how those answer the hard questions
because purchasing managers _will_ ask them or they wouldn't be
doing their due dilligence.

>I might ask, "why chance Linux if one need not?"

That sounds a lot more like something I'd expect from a
hobbyist than anyone seriously working on production systems.

Again, you guys really just don't seem to get it: the world
went through the era of vendor-locked proprietary systems and
came out the other end.  No one wants to deal with that again.

If you _like_ VMS and want it to be competitive, then come up
with some good answers to these questions and nightmare, "what
if?" scenarios.  Hope is not a strategy and getting mad at
people who ask the questions isn't going to keep VMS alive.

	- Dan C.