| Re: Open letter to RSI about dropping Alpha Tru64 [message #27535] |
Sat, 27 October 2001 22:49 |
Spade
Messages: 3
Registered: October 2001
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> Because the core
> teams use IDL, universities and laboratories around the world who want to
use
> the data from these missions also purchase IDL. The strong support of IDL
by
I suspect that as the number of "core teams" who use IDL decrease, so too do
the numbers of other users. Why would institutions run 50 licences for a
program that their data supplier ins't using any more? Axing support for one
platform could result in hundreds of users fleeing en-mass to other
products! The loss of licence sales and support contracts due to this
flow-on effect could mean that IDL might loose out very big in the end.
Have RSI/Kodak done their math? Is every user accounted for? Time will tell.
.spade.
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| Re: Open letter to RSI about dropping Alpha Tru64 [message #27537 is a reply to message #27535] |
Sat, 27 October 2001 22:14  |
Joseph B. Gurman
Messages: 31
Registered: April 2000
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Member |
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In article <9rb7ub$593$3@readme.uio.no>, colin.rosenthal@astro.uio.no
wrote:
> On 25 Oct 2001 14:44:17 GMT,
> William Thompson <thompson@orpheus.nascom.nasa.gov> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> I also question how accurately RSI can determine how many of their
>> customers
>> are using Tru64 Unix. Just before RSI made the announcement about
>> dropping
>> platforms, I had just put in a purchase order for yearly maintenance for
>> our
>> Tru64 and Windows platforms. However, many of our licenses are now
>> floating
>> licenses, and may not be properly accounted for as being used on Tru64
>> platforms.
>
> Bingo! We also run IDL on dozens of Tru64 machines, but as these are
> floating licenses RSI has no idea about them.
We have a bunch, too, but I wonder if the raw number matters to RSI
--- the "business" question may be whether they can sell any _more_ next
year than this year, or even any more at all. Given the uncertain future
of Tru64 in an HP-Compaq merger, I can't say I blame RSI for this
one.... not that I'm not ticked off by it.
Just as I was by the OpenVMS decision last year. And yes, there are
lots of VMS machines still running IDL, too. I suspect that there will
still be OpenVMS machines running IDL years after HP stops selling Tru64.
Ah, well, at least IDL 5.2 still offers GIF support.
Joe Gurman
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| Re: Open letter to RSI about dropping Alpha Tru64 [message #27575 is a reply to message #27537] |
Fri, 26 October 2001 01:47 |
colinr
Messages: 30
Registered: July 1999
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Member |
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On 25 Oct 2001 14:44:17 GMT,
William Thompson <thompson@orpheus.nascom.nasa.gov> wrote:
<snip>
> I also question how accurately RSI can determine how many of their customers
> are using Tru64 Unix. Just before RSI made the announcement about dropping
> platforms, I had just put in a purchase order for yearly maintenance for our
> Tru64 and Windows platforms. However, many of our licenses are now floating
> licenses, and may not be properly accounted for as being used on Tru64
> platforms.
Bingo! We also run IDL on dozens of Tru64 machines, but as these are
floating licenses RSI has no idea about them.
--
Colin Rosenthal
Astrophysics Institute
University of Oslo
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| Re: Open letter to RSI about dropping Alpha Tru64 [message #27613 is a reply to message #27575] |
Thu, 25 October 2001 08:45 |
Dave Greenwood
Messages: 33
Registered: October 2000
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Member |
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In addition to the points made by William Thompson in his message, I'll
point out that the Alpha chip and Tru64 are not synonymous. While Compaq
announced the end of life for Alpha (in several years!), it also announced
that it plans to continue Tru64 by porting to Itanium. The point is that
it's Alpha - not Tru64 - that will disappear.
Ah - I don't know why I bother with this. My interest in IDL (and the
value of the maintenance contracts I manage) nosedived when RSI dropped
support for VMS.
Dave
--------------
Dave Greenwood Email: Greenwoodde@ORNL.GOV
Oak Ridge National Lab %STD-W-DISCLAIMER, I only speak for myself
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