Re: Itanium lap tops are needed now!

Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply wrote:
In article <43CD5C45.4A22065E@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, JF Mezei
<jfmezei.spamnot@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes: 


Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply wrote:

However, considering that one can get VAX and ALPHA hardware FOR FREE,
why hasn't VMS taken off? 

one word:

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DOUBLE_WIDTH, DOUBLE_HEIGHT", COLOUR="RED">


M A R K E T I N G


While marketing might have helped, and Palmer certainly did hurt, I don't think the only reason is lack of marketing. Linux didn't succeed because of marketing, it succeeded because it was cheap.

If that's the major reason, then why didn't the other, prior, free Operating Systems succeed? FreeBSD for example?

Linux is where it is today mainly because of something similar to marketing. It was perceived to be 'cute' and 'whatever' and it was pushed at people.

IBM jumped on Linux, most likely to counter Microsoft, and that meant a lot.

I still think that, though VMS can't really compete with linux there and shouldn't, one should think about some sort of entry-level commercial license, perhaps without support. As long as it wouldn't take away revenue from existing customers, I don't see why HP shouldn't do it.

Ah, reasonably priced VMS for the smaller customers. It's headed that way, but still is not low enough for the desktop. Actually, I personally think that the current offerings are reasonable. Too bad that the potential repeat customers are long gone.

This is why the announcement that VMS is to be ported to the 8086 will
invigotrate VMS because that will make teh news and be a very clear
message that HP intends VMS to be maintream and not relegated to some
obscrure platform and niche market. Going onto the 8086 would instantly
make VMS available on the full range of industry standard computers at
very litle cost compared to developping low volume specialised IA64
thing laptops, desktops etc.


Yes, but if the license costs 10 times what the hardware does, I don't see it being a winner in the marketplace.


Check on the current licenses before you make such claims.

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David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
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