On 3/7/2020 5:37 PM, Gary Lee Phillips wrote:
Yes, quite important seems to be an understatement. HPE is dropping
the program, apparently because the OpenVMS product line is now the
responsibility of VSI. But I can find no sign that VSI will continue
the hobbyist license program in any form. Those of us with actual
Alpha/Itanium/Vax hardware may be completely shut out?
That's the way it's looking. SIMH VAXen, too.
As far as I know, even if VSI starts a Hobbyist program, it will not
include VAX, as they have never had anything to do with the VAX version
of VMS. Presumably, they have no legal right to create VAX PAKs, even if
they had the software to do it (which they do, since the Alpha PAKGEN
can create VAX PAKs).
I own two Alphas and also run Vax on Simh. This is not amusing. VSI
appears to be focused on OpenVMS for x86 processors, which is fine if
they can do that. But without a way to renew license keys our Alpha
and Vax systems will be dead silicon. I don't require support or even
patches. I just need to keep my systems running.
I had hoped that HPE would release non-expiring VAX PAKs, because why
not? They're out of the game, and no one else has the code for VAX. But
they apparently aren't going to do that, which effectively ends SIMH,
VAX, and Alpha for all but commercial use with purchased commercial
licenses.
Hunter
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