From Newsgroup: comp.os.vms

Arne Vajh|+j <arne@vajhoej.dk> wrote:

On 8/16/2025 6:46 PM, Waldek Hebisch wrote:

Arne Vajh|+j <arne@vajhoej.dk> wrote:

It would not make sense for Oracle to port if they expect
customers to migrate away in a few years.

And it would not make sense for customers to move to x86-64
and migrate away in a few years.

Why not? Succesful platform migration may take a lot of time.
When migration is done in incremental way important part is
increasing portability of source code. During that production
runs on existing system, in this case VMS. Assuming that x86-64
part is succesful, that is VSI customers can easily move
software to x86-64 VMS, it make sense to use x86-64 as intermedite
step. Namely, one has gain on hardware side, that is ability to
retire old hardware and run on new one. And move to x86-64 can
test some aspects of migration, before it is fully done.

If they were to migrate it would be lower cost to stay
on Itanium and just do one migration instead of two. From
VMS Itanium to VMS x86-64 may not require any code changes, but
planning, project management, test etc. still make it expensive.

Any incremental increase of code portability could just as
well be done on Itanium. Unless support for newer C++ standards
is important.

Well, I would expect that site with rational coding policy will
develop a test suite and regularly run automated tests. Adding
VMS x86-64 to automated tests should be pretty low effort. And
if tests have good coverage and all pass on VMS x86-64, then
they could move with resonable confidence.

Ensuring that test have good coverage is part of migration and
has to be done anyway, so there is no additional cost.

Of course, there are things which are hard to test in automatic
way. But in many cases automated testing works fine.

Concerning benefits, beside newer C++ I would expect that getting
open source to run on VMS x86-64 is easier than on Itanium.
x86-64 supports virtualiztion. Running on x86-64 is a milestone
that is visible and easy to understand. Saying that migration
in 70% done may be supported by some evidence, but higher management
may be worried by lack of visible progress

There are other possible reasons, but I do not want to speculate too
much. All I can say is that when I hear about reasons for some
decisions it sometimes happens than I am surprised.
--
Waldek Hebisch
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.vms

On 8/15/2025 1:47 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:

On 2025-08-15, bill <bill.gunshannon@gmail.com> wrote:

On 8/15/2025 8:40 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:

If you consider it lucky to be overtaken by another company for
their good and yours was only an unavoidable fluke.

For example, Motorola would have been
a far better starting point.

Motorola was supposed to be the original starting point.

And the sad thing is most people don't realise what they could have
had instead of x86. Intel should have been a footnote in history as
an extinct calculator CPU and memory chip manufacturer.

Simon.

I consider it all the fault of short sighted people at DEC.

The VAX would have made a really nice PC, and follow-ons such as Alpha would have happened. But no, DEC was stuck on small volume with large profit margins.
Probably the high overhead of all those support people had something to do with that. But, that plan was doomed.
--
David Froble Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc. E-Mail: davef@tsoft-inc.com
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA 15486
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.os.vms

On 21/08/2025 15:41, Dave Froble wrote:

On 8/15/2025 1:47 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:

On 2025-08-15, bill <bill.gunshannon@gmail.com> wrote:

On 8/15/2025 8:40 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:

If you consider it lucky to be overtaken by another company for
their good and yours was only an unavoidable fluke.

-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a For example, Motorola would have been
a far better starting point.

Motorola was supposed to be the original starting point.

And the sad thing is most people don't realise what they could have
had instead of x86. Intel should have been a footnote in history as
an extinct calculator CPU and memory chip manufacturer.

Simon.

I consider it all the fault of short sighted people at DEC.

The VAX would have made a really nice PC, and follow-ons such as Alpha
would have happened.-a But no, DEC was stuck on small volume with large profit margins. -aProbably the high overhead of all those support people
had something to do with that.-a But, that plan was doomed.

There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home
;)
--
Chris
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2