[Info-vax] What does VMS get used for, these days?

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 10/22/2022 5:09 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> When Banner was brought in to replace the custom apps on VMS at the
> University it was understood upfront that everything was going to
> change the users were the one's that would have to adapt.
> 
> Compare that to where I worked in 1980 where I was tasked with
> developing a microcomputer based data entry system to get the
> "keypunch" people off the mainframe to free it up for production
> and development work.  The first requirement was that what I was
> to develop had to present itself to the users exactly like what
> they had been using on the Univac-1100.
> How times change.

Usually adapting usage to the standard packages way of doing things
is the smart approach.

The argument for buying the standard packages in the first
place is to get a lot of functionality without paying a fortune
for development.

Most standard packages can be customized as much as the customer
want (read: are willing to pay 250-350 USD per hour for).

But first paying for a standard package, then paying a fortune
for customization of the standard package and after that every
time the standard package is upgraded pay a half fortune for
migrating all those customizations is not achieving the
goal of reducing cost.

So the smart customers put customization wishes in two
buckets:

A) to do it like before, great idea but not important for
    business, nice to have etc.

B) changes that reduce cost or increase revenue significantly

Bucket #A goes into trash and only bucket #B get implemented.

Arne