[Info-vax] VSI OpenVMS Community License

[Simon Clubley]

On 2024-03-26, Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>
> (warning: this is going to be a long rant)
>
> First announcement link:
>     https://vmssoftware.com/about/news/2024-03-25-community-license-update/
>
> The changes seems to be:
> * student license program is dropped
> * community license program is changed
>    - not available for Alpha and Itanium, only available for x86-64
>    - not available as license+kit, only available as preinstalled disk image
> * new VMS ambassador license
>    - with obligations to contribute
>    - license for all 3 platforms

What is the point of supplying a licence for all 3 platforms, if most of
the hobbyist users will not be able to run the ambassador's software on
2 of those 3 platforms ? Is the ambassador simply doing unpaid work for
VSI's commercial customers _only_ ?

>    - license+kit model
>
> Reasons given are to solve problems:
> * too much work managing licenses
> * too little contribution back
>
> I don't think the changes will solve the problems.
>
> It is obvious that VSI has been struggling with the community licenses,
> but VSI will still have to do commercial licenses, ISV licenses and
> the new VMS ambassador licenses. If that process is not automated, then
> it will stille be hassle.
>

I think HPE (including HPE India!) did a far better job of this than VSI
are doing.

I don't know how many hobbyist licences HPE had to manage, but I would be
surprised if it was much less than the number VSI have to manage.

Even though HPE only had one person doing this, including after the move
to India occurred, the process always seemed to "flow" much smoothly than
it has done with VSI.

I knew I would find something nice to say about HPE India one day. :-)

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.