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Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
BillPedersen
Member
Posts: 5
Location: South Carolina
Joined: 21.07.08 |
| Posted on November 18 2011 03:57 |
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I personally believe that the OpenVMS Hobbyist program is a great asset to HP and OpenVMS. But I have been challenged to show the return to OpenVMS from this program. My hope in this process we can work toward getting access to patches for the OpenVMS Hobbyist community. No guarantees, but I have to try.
So I am asking you, the OpenVMS Hobbyists, what Open Source applications have you ported? What utilities have you developed? Where are they published? What have you done as far as possibly participating in field test programs?
Were you an "early adopter" of new releases? Did you submit either official or unofficial bug reports? If so when? To whom? What was the issue?
The detail and the more information we have the better in building the case.
Thanks for listening and I look forward to getting this information.
Bill.
Bill Pedersen
CCSS - Computer Consulting System Services, LLC
211 Ruth Drive
Gaffney, SC 29341
Telephone: 864-490-8863
Mobile: 408-892-5204
Facsimile: 866-394-9148
www: www.ccsscorp.com
Skype Name: william.a.pedersen
LinkedIn Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/billpedersen |
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
saq
Member
Posts: 60
Joined: 24.05.08 |
| Posted on November 20 2011 11:34 |
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Personally, I'm still working on developing my programming skills to the point where I can create production-quality code, so no ports yet, but I did participate in the 8.4 field trials and did submit two bugs I found. I also have been speaking up positively for VMS on other fora and publically, though I haven't personally been in a situation where I could implement an OpenVMS system commercially.
A few things that I would recommend for going to HP: First, look specifically at what is being ported/done and how it positively impacts HP from a business standpoint. An example: I could be porting GIMP to OpenVMS. Decent software, not currently available, probably not trivial - BUT - of little value to HP because GIMP uses and requires a graphical head, and OpenVMS no longer targets that market, so the presence or absence of GIMP is immaterial to HP.
We need to figure out those things that the hobbyist program can encourage that are most important to HP and focus on those. |
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
saq
Member
Posts: 60
Joined: 24.05.08 |
| Posted on November 20 2011 16:50 |
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Here's a good one: How many members of the OpenVMS Hobbyist program recommended the purchase of a VMS-based system, and how many purchases of VMS systems had a correlation with recommendations from people who were in the OpenVMS Hobbyist program?
Re: HP - not sure if you're going to get much action if you ask them to allow patch access to Hobbyist members for the simple reason that it requires expense and bother on their part. Perhaps approaching it by recommending "split" patch access that will benefit both their regular customers and the hobbyist community. Security and "showstopper bug" patches would be available free, thus enhancing OpenVMS' reputation as a secure system that remains secure, guaranteed, while other patches and the privilege of requesting fixes would be reserved for support contract customers. |
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
Bruce Claremont
Member
Posts: 623
Joined: 07.01.10 |
| Posted on November 21 2011 07:20 |
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We get approached often by people interested in gaining hands on experience with OpenVMS. Our company policy is to point them at the HP OpenVMS web pages and the OpenVMS Hobbyist web site. I have personally pointed over 100 people at the Hobbyist site for an introduction to VMS over the past six years.
We maintain several links on our web site to the Hobbyist home page. Starting in March of 2010, we began tracking hits on these links. These hits are tracked separately from the links to the Hobbyist FreeAXP form links. To date there have been over 700 hits on the Hobbyist home page links.
The OpenVMS Hobbyist site is a valuable VMS community resource the deserves continuing support from HP. For negligible cost, HP receives marketing, technical, and customer feedback benefits.
Bruce Claremont
Migration Specialties
Edited by Bruce Claremont on November 21 2011 07:21 |
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
taunusstein-net
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: 16.10.09 |
| Posted on December 17 2011 10:36 |
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I do not know if HP is interested in building a VMS community. Linux has a very big community and it is a story of success. Some people say HP want to let die OpenVMS for other HP products, I do not know if this is true. If these rumors are false, HP should prove this by e,g. supporting OpenVMS communities like Hobbyist Program.
If some Hobbyists licenses are used for Internet applications and if they are no longer patched, OpenVMS security reputation may become damaged, OpenVMS has many security benefits, but it is not unbreakable, especially if security patches are not available.
HP should ask Microsoft for reasons to give patches for free, I think Microsoft has specific reasons to do so.
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
Lord Beckett
Member
Posts: 18
Joined: 06.03.12 |
| Posted on March 10 2012 20:04 |
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taunusstein-net wrote:
If some Hobbyists licenses are used for Internet applications and if they are no longer patched, OpenVMS security reputation may become damaged, OpenVMS has many security benefits, but it is not unbreakable, especially if security patches are not available.
HP should ask Microsoft for reasons to give patches for free, I think Microsoft has specific reasons to do so.
That is exactly what I was thinking as well. But then again they could just decide oh well then we won't give hobbyists anything because they wouldn't want their reputation damaged.
You want people to use VMS HP? then convince us you are committed to its continued existence. Many believe this OS is dying or dead, and it will eventually become true, unless you convince people to use it.
Edited by Lord Beckett on March 10 2012 20:06 |
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
Lord Beckett
Member
Posts: 18
Joined: 06.03.12 |
| Posted on March 13 2012 04:59 |
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Update
Fixed problem.
Often hobbyists cannot properly use the software when there are bugs they cannot get patches for. Waiting till the next release (if there ever is one) simply will not do. Get it together HP.
Edited by Lord Beckett on March 13 2012 12:17 |
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
saq
Member
Posts: 60
Joined: 24.05.08 |
| Posted on March 20 2012 18:24 |
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I think the evidence shows HP is moderately committed to VMS. HP has a fairly extensive history of buying companies whose products they are not particularly interested in continuing, and in each case they have dumped them as soon as possible - think Apollo, Tru64, Tandem NonStop MIPS systems, and so on.
HP has passed the mandatory time they had to continue selling OpenVMS, and it's still around. They've even released a new significant update recently (Version 8.4). Yep, VMS marketing is pretty bad, and they certainly don't seem to be actively seeking out new customers - but that's by no means a HP-specific issue. A number of high-end companies have the attitude that "our customers will know they need us and will do whatever it takes to convince us to accept whatever we say to sell them our product". |
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RE: Trying to build a case for Benefit of OpenVMS Hobbyist Program being beneficial to HP |
Lord Beckett
Member
Posts: 18
Joined: 06.03.12 |
| Posted on March 21 2012 11:27 |
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Guess I spoke too quickly, went down into the electrical room of the place where I work and lo and behold I turn to see an ancient digital terminal in the corner running what i suspected to be VMS lol. I was just like W.T.F....! when i saw it. Some research revealed it to be either a vt510 or a vt520, judging by the fact that it is monochrome (amber) and has a red digital logo on the lower left corner. I know it said VT and had the digital logo, but I forgot the specific numbers in my excitement.
Edited by Lord Beckett on March 21 2012 12:14 |
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