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

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 11/1/2022 10:02 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2022-11-01, David Goodwin <dgsoftnz at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 1:59:20 PM UTC+13, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> But if the goal is the more realistic VMS-Linux 1%-99%,
>>> then it is a lot easier. Some decision makers will be
>>> willing to look at less common alternatives. Some
>>> decision makers will have had a recent bad experience
>>> with Linux.
>>
>> Even if the software was available on OpenVMS, why would you
>> choose it over Linux? Why subject your business to the high licensing
>> costs, yearly license renewals, and difficulty of finding skilled staff?
>> All to run software that was probably ported from Linux anyway? What
>> is the actual selling point of OpenVMS to potential customers?
> 
> Exactly.
> 
> Arne is thinking like an engineer with an emotional attachment to VMS.
> 
> He needs to start thinking like a manager, who doesn't care what it says
> on the box, but has a decision to make about which system to buy.
> 
> That manager is going to choose the safest option for them, which is going
> to be what everyone else is buying, unless you can persuade them that VMS
> is somehow the safer option for them.
> 
>  From the manager's point of view, going with VMS has a _lot_ of problems,
> but so far, I am not seeing what the argument would be for persuading them
> to be the one that signs off on buying a VMS system.
> 
> What is the argument you would make that is strong enough to persuade them
> to go with VMS in spite of the problems involved with doing so ?
> 
> Until you can answer that question, you are not going to be selling VMS
> into brand new sites.

No - I am thinking like someone that does not get his
understanding of IT decision making from reading Dilbert.

Different IT decision makers has different priorities
and different approaches.

There will be a huge chunk of them that want to run
what everybody else is running aka Linux. They will
never go with VMS.

There will be a huge chunk that want a free offering
usually one of the gratis Linux distros. They will
never go with VMS.

But there will be some that are open to alternatives.

Not enough if ones goal is to take over the OS world.

But probably more than enough to make VSI thrive.

The trick is in the numbers. If we say that the industry
setup 5 million new servers every year, then VSI only
need a tiny slice to be successful.

Arne