[Info-vax] VMS survivability (was: Re: Rendez-vous autour de VMS" of January 31 2023 report)

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 2/19/2023 4:02 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
> In article <tstaid$dhc4$2 at dont-email.me>,
> Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>> On 2/18/2023 9:49 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
>>> In article <tsrr9q$5qhq$4 at dont-email.me>,
>>> Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>>> On 2/18/2023 4:47 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
>>>>> In article <tsrfpl$4bfn$2 at dont-email.me>,
>>>>> Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>>>>> On 2/18/2023 4:01 PM, Dan Cross wrote:
>>>>>>> In article <tsrdl6$4bfn$1 at dont-email.me>,
>>>>>>> Arne Vajhøj  <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>>>>> But there are a few things to remember before
>>>>>> considering VSI going that path.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 1) Redhat is doing fine delivering support service. But
>>>>>>       they may have done even better if they could also have
>>>>>>       charged real license fees, but they cannot because
>>>>>>       they mostly did not create the products and the products
>>>>>>       are typical under GPL or LGPL. VSI can and do sell
>>>>>>       licenses.
>>>>>
>>>>> RedHat got started when the commercial Unix vendors, who did
>>>>> charge for software, were still in their prime.  Which among
>>>>> them are still selling licenses?
>>>>
>>>> Most of them are still selling. Oracle is selling Solaris.
>>>> IBM is selling AIX. HPE is selling HP-UX. HPE is not selling
>>>> Tru64.
>>>
>>> Literally every single one of those has been EOL'ed.
>>> Every. Single. One.
>>
>> You can state that and sound totally convincing.
>>
>> The problem is that everybody that know how to use
>> basic search on the internet can detect that it is
>> a lie.
> 
> I think the problem here is that you lack the sophistication to
> understand that small security releases (likely as part of
> ongoing contractual obligations) do not mean that something
> isn't EOL'ed.

The term EOL has a very specific meaning in software.

If bugfixes get released by the vendor then it is not EOL.

>> AIX:
>>
>> AIX 7.3. TL1 was released in December 2022.
>>
>> https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/aix-support-lifecycle-information
>> states that IBM supports AIX 7.3 TL1 until end of 2025.
> 
> Such long lead times!  A little under three years!  What a smart
> time to invest in AIX.

If there will not be a TL2 with another EOL date, then it would
indeed not be long.

But expect IBM to roll out more TL's.

>> HP-UX:
>>
>> There was an update to HP-UX 11iv3 in May 2022.
>>
>> https://www.hpe.com/psnow/doc/4AA4-7673ENW states that HPE supports
>> HP-UX 11iv3 (on Integrity) until at least end of 2025.
> 
> WOW, so alive....
> 
>> Solaris:
>>
>> Solaris 11.4 SRU53 was release in January 2023.
>>
>> https://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-hardware-301321.pdf
>> says that Oracle will support Solaris 11.4 until
>> November 2021 / November 2034.
> 
> You'll noticed that Solaris 12 has disappeared form Oracle's
> roadmap.

Yes. But that does not make Solaris EOL.

>> Do they have a future? No or probably not.
>>
>> (HP-UX will die with Itanium, Oracle has clearly indicated that they
>> are putting much effort into Solaris, IBM did not invest in Redhat
>> to push AIX)
>>
>> But they are not EOL today. And will not be for several years.
> 
> I can still buy licenses for VMS for VAX from HPE; does that
> mean that OpenVMS/VAX hasn't been EOL'ed?

Again EOL has a very specific meaning.

If HPE is still providing support for what they sell
then it is not EOL.

But I am pretty sure that VMS 7.3 (last version with VAX support)
is EOL.

Anybody that can confirm when 7.3 officially went EOL?

Arne