HPE OpenVMS Hobbyist license program is closing

[Doug Jackson]

So.

At the end of the day there are three paths.

1.  Accept that HP doesn't give two hoots about hobbyists and patch the
abandoned operating system to fix the problem.

2. Declare that we need to develop an open replacement.

Or

3.  Accept that HP actually owns the rights to our VAX 11/785 machines and
arrange for them to be dropped off at their corporate headquarters because
they can't do anything without software.

Sigh...


On Tue, 10 Mar. 2020, 8:23 am Chris Hanson via cctalk, <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:

> On Mar 9, 2020, at 1:01 PM, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk <
> cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> >
> > On 3/9/20 1:33 PM, John H. Reinhardt via cctalk wrote:
> >> On 3/9/2020 12:20 PM, Eric Smith wrote:
> >>> On Sat, Mar 7, 2020 at 4:32 PM John H. Reinhardt via cctalk <
> cctalk at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>     I would think that those that already have legal VAX PAKs/licenses
> could still run them. It's just no *NEW* PAKs could be legally generated.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> The hobby PAKs _and_ the licenses have a one-year expiration.
> >> As a Hobbyist license holder since 2004 I am well aware.  The language
> Bill used implied that no one would be able to legally run OpenVMS on a
> VAX.  I was saying that those who had bought licenses previously (implying
> commercial and other entities) should still be legal in running VAX OpenVMS
> even after HPE shuts down their OpenVMS activities.  Bill may have been
> intending just the Hobbyist (and educational licenses, too) but the
> language was ambiguous.
> >
> > Actually, as long as they can live with incorrect time Hobbyists
> > could use that last set of PAKs forever.
>
> That’s from a technical perspective, from a legal perspective their
> license expired.
>
>   -- Chris
>
>