Posts: 2 Location: The University of Waterloo Joined: 04.09.09
Posted on September 09 2009 17:02
Hello, I'm a noob here (to use the colloquial term), as well as a bit of a noob at VMS.
Now my question is this. I am acquiring a refurbished MicroVAX 3100-40, and I have a VMS hobbyist license. The MicroVAX is a bit large to be hanging 'round my dorm room (insert laughter here). So I'm working with my school's Computer Science Club (by the by, I'm a first year mathie at the University of Waterloo, so yes I'm in that CSC) to loan them the machine while I am a registered student there.
Now I know that I can put OpenBSD on the machine and not deal with license issues. What about VMS? The loan to the CSC would involve the VAX being connected to the CSC's private network and being accessible only to CSC members. Following that, CSC members can use the machine for whatever the hell they want (be it school work, work work, screwing around, et cetera). Now would the hobbyist license still be a valid in this case? Or would one need to pay for a non-hobbyist license?
As a corollary to that, would one be able to register the UW CSC as a valid hobbyist licensee? Or would a specific individual be required to do so? (And furthermore, if I just let them use my VMS license, is that an issue?)
Thank you all in advance for all of your helpful insight.
Author
RE: VAX Hobbyist Liscensing and a University Computer Science Club
Use the OpenVMS Educational License Program licensing. http://www.openvmsedu.com. It's free and works a lot like the OpenVMS Hobby Program, except the licensing is a little more lenient for schools.
To go a little further, it even allows your fellow students to get their own OpenVMS licenses - for instance, to have SIMH running on your laptop. You can even cluster the laptops together!
If you need any help, let me know, as I help manage that program, too.
Author
RE: VAX Hobbyist Liscensing and a University Computer Science Club
Posts: 2 Location: The University of Waterloo Joined: 04.09.09
Posted on September 12 2009 04:41
Many thanks for all your help. This website really is a treasure trove of VMS information.
HobbyistOne wrote:
Use the OpenVMS Educational License Program licensing. http://www.openvmsedu.com. It's free and works a lot like the OpenVMS Hobby Program, except the licensing is a little more lenient for schools.
This brings up my question of, because the CSC let's their members do anything (non-harmful to the software/hardware, as well as not illegal) with their machines, I'm seeing a teeny tiny conflict. (As according to the terms of the Educational Licence:
It may not be used for any commercial or business purpose, whether "for profit" or "not for profit." Any work performed or produced as a result of use of this Software cannot be performed or produced for the benefit of other parties for a fee, compensation or any other reimbursement or remuneration.
The simple solution on our end is just telling everyone to use the machines for non-commercial purposes only, but that's not going to be a "perfect" solution in any way, shape or form.
HobbyistOne wrote:
To go a little further, it even allows your fellow students to get their own OpenVMS licenses - for instance, to have SIMH running on your laptop. You can even cluster the laptops together!
Truth be told the CSC seems to be leaning a lot toward FOSS, so they'd rather run (and stay running) a variety of Linux-derivatives.
Before I tried VMS my favourite OS was OpenBSD. (Enough so that I had planned to install OBSD on the MicroVAX I'm purchasing.) Though now I find VMS more... intriguing.
But enough about that. Hopefully I can register the CSC for an educational licence. (Side note: Since the CSC is a mostly independant club on campus, could -- if the need ever arises -- the actual school acquire and educational licence as well?)
HobbyistOne wrote:
If you need any help, let me know, as I help manage that program, too.
Licencing always give me a headache so I'm pretty sure I'll need your help again.
"If you start losing data, people won't be using your operating system. Of course there are counterexamples to this..." -- Tim Brecht
malmberg August 04 2022 No more VAX hobbyist licenses.
Community licenses for Alpha/IA64/X86_64 VMS Software Inc.
Commercial VMS software licenses for VAX available from HPE.
ozboomer July 20 2022 Just re-visiting.. No more hobbyist licenses? Is that from vmssoftware.com, no 'community' licenses?
valdirfranco July 01 2022 No more hobbyist license...sad
mister_wavey February 12 2022 I recall that the disks failed on the public access VMS systems that included Fafner
parwezw January 03 2022 Anyone know what happened to FAFNER.DYNDS.ORG?
I had a hobbyist account here but can longer access the site.
gtackett October 27 2021 Make that DECdfs _2.1A_ for Vax
gtackett October 27 2021 I'm looking for DECdfs V2.4A kit for VAX.
Asking here just in case anyone is still listening.
MarkRLV September 17 2021 At one time, didn't this web site have a job board? I would love to use my legacy skills one last time in my career.
malmberg January 18 2021 New Hobbyist PAKs for VAX/VMS are no longer available according to reports. Only commercial licenses are reported to be for sale from HPE
dfilip January 16 2021 Can someone please point me to hobbyist license pak? I'm looking for VAX/VMS 7.1, DECnet Phase IV, and UCX/TCPIP ... have the 7.1 media, need the license paks ... thanks!
