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

[David Goodwin]

On Monday, August 1, 2022 at 1:46:41 PM UTC+12, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 7/31/2022 5:30 PM, Jan-Erik Söderholm wrote: 
> > Den 2022-07-31 kl. 23:22, skrev Robert A. Brooks: 
> >> On 7/29/2022 3:47 PM, Johnny Billquist wrote: 
> >>> On 2022-07-29 20:04, abrsvc wrote: 
> >> 
> >>>> From what I recall, VSI bought the rights to Alpha and Itanium along with 
> >>>> the rights to create the X86 variants. VSI does not have the rights to do 
> >>>> anything with VAX versions at all. HP retains the rights to allow/disallow 
> >>>> any licensing for VAX machines or emulated VAXes. All licensing for these 
> >>>> are handled through HP Financial. This includes both the purchase of 
> >>>> licenses as well as transfers. 
> >>> 
> >>> That was the belief of a lot of people, but VSI (or people from VSI) publicly 
> >>> corrected that belief in this newsgroup some time ago. They do have the 
> >>> rights also to the VAX bits. But there isn't even a snowballs chance in hell 
> >>> that they will build a new VAX version, it has been said. 
> >>> And VSI cannot issue any licenses for HPE versions of VMS, which is why the 
> >>> VAX is in such a limbo. 
> >> 
> >> What Johnny has written is 100% correct. 
> >> 
> > 
> > VSI doesn't have any right to issue any licenses to *any* VMS/OpenVMS 
> > version, no matter the platform/architecture, if it isn't a version 
> > issued by VSI. Such as any Alpha or IA64 version that was issued 
> > from HP/HPE (or earlier). 
> > 
> > It has to be a VAX kit built by VSI, and that (as has already been 
> > said) will simply not happen. 
> > 
> > That VSI should take the work to build an VAX kit just to satisfy 
> > a few hobbyists, is ridiculous... 
> > 
> >
> 100% correct ... 
> 
> But, to play devil's advocate, I'm wondering just what size dollar bill such a 
> request could be written on to get a new VAX release ... 

IIRC there is at least one kernel engineer at VSI with a large collection of
VAXen - I wonder if they're all running NetBSD now that the hobbyist program
is gone.

Perhaps it could be done as a strictly volunteer effort. Replace the Compaq
branding with VSI if its strictly necessary (is the Compaq trademark even still
alive? all the DEC ones have expired), run the build process and put it out 
there with minimal testing (boots on some vax or even SIMH - good enough) 
for strictly non-commercial/hobbyist purposes only. It need not cost VSI a 
cent or a single hour of development time as long as someone within VSI 
was interested in taking it on in their spare time.