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the Unofficial OpenVMS-IA32
Home Page

Topics on this page:

OpenVMS IA32
Benefits to HP
Benefits to ISVs
Benefits to End Users

DJE Systems OpenVMS-Related Polls

Other OpenVMS Links

OpenVMS IA32

The concept behind OpenVMS-IA32 is very simple: port VMS to THE most ubiquitous computing platform in the world: Intel's "x86" architecture, also known as "IA32".

Although it is widely believed that the market for OpenVMS on IA32 would be small and economically impractical, the truth is that given the desire of the market for a secure, reliable operating platform, the actual market for OpenVMS on IA32 is likely to be much larger than anyone currently is inclined to believe.

Given the size of the IA32 market, and the fact that IA32's market continues to grow, even today - on the threshold of ubiquitous 64-bit computing, even a miniscule share of that market is enough to justify the expense of doing the port.

This has never been more true than it is today. The port to "IA64", also known by the name "Itanium", has yielded significant improvements in the platform-independence of OpenVMS. Where the earlier efforts at an IA32 port were perhaps less successful than desired, renewed efforts would likely overcome much of the difficulty experienced then.

Further, the world-wide market for IA32 has never been greater. Let's put that into real numbers: The world wide market for IA32 is in the tens of billions of dollars annually. Even a 1 percent share of that market would still yield hundreds of millions of dollars annually - more than enough to justify the effort.

Benefits to HP

The benefits to HP of OpenVMS on IA32 are (at least) five-fold:



• More hardware sales for IA32 servers = more hardware revenue



• More hardware support contracts = more revenue



• More OpenVMS License sales = more revenue



• More OpenVMS Software Support contracts = more revenue



• More per-call OpenVMS Software Support = more revenue



Benefits to ISVs

The benefits to the ISVs of OpenVMS IA32 are (at least) four-fold:



• Larger potential market = more revenue potential



• More diverse potential market = more revenue potential



• Greater potential to demonstrate scalability = greater potential for sales across a much broader range of clients, from small shops to larger enterprises, all running the same software.



• Feature-Rich Operating System = drastic reductions in development cycles, fewer add-ons to buy from third parties.




Benefits to End Users

The benefits to the End User are (at least) five fold:



• More Stable Operating System = drastic reductions in downtime.



• More Secure Operating System = drastic reductions in downtime and risk.



• Feature-Rich Operating System = drastic reductions in development cycles, fewer add-ons to buy from third parties.



• Proven, Commercial-Quality Operating System = less risk in implementing new systems.



• Decades of field experience = Huge pool of potential talent from which to hire experienced IT professionals.




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DJE Systems OpenVMS-Related Polls

Here are some polls in which you can participate to make your opinion known to the world at-large. Topics of the polls include affordable OpenVMS, the A.S.A.P. (now D.S.P.P) program and even the much dreamed-of but never realized OpenVMS-Intel.



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Other OpenVMS-related pages:

DJE Systems OpenVMS Page
DJE Systems OpenVMS Hobbyist Page
Dallas / Fort Worth DECUS LUG OpenVMS Hobbyist Home Page
OpenVMS Freeware Page
ZIP and UNZIP for OpenVMS
The REAL Story about "tarballs" (GZIP and TAR for OpenVMS)
VAX Linux

Alternative Operating Systems