[Info-vax] VMS VAX License for personal Microvax 3100 Model 40

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 7/27/2022 10:52 AM, abrsvc wrote:
> On Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 10:43:38 AM UTC-4, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 7/27/2022 10:19 AM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>> On 7/27/2022 3:59 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
>>>> gah4 wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Most likely this machine had a valid license.
>>>>
>>>> But only transferable to a new owner on payment of a fee.
>>>
>>> Ok, who is doing the transfers?
>>> DC would do the transfer for, I seem to recall, $300.  But DEC is no
>>> more.  So, is DEC's transfer still required, or, since DEC is no more,
>>> then the requirement for the transfer is no more.
>> Compaq bought DEC and all IP.
>>
>> HP bought Compaq and all IP.
>>
>> When HP split then HPE and HP Inc split the IP (I assume this went to HPE).
 >
> Strange as it sounds, it is HP Financial that handles the licenses.
> It may be part of HPE technically, but is known as HP Financial.
I don't think it is strange.

A long time ago someone leased a system meaning that DEC/CPQ/HP/HPE
financials bougth the system and the VMS license, then the customer
paid every month/quarter/year - after N years the lease expires and
both the hardware and the license return to DEC/CPQ/HP/HPE
financials. So they end up with a pile of old hardware and a pile of VMS
licenses. So they figured out that they could sell those licenses. And
they had the inside knowledge and power to grab the right to approve
transfers.

Arne