Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!bbn.com!drilex!dricejb
From: dricejb@drilex.UUCP (Craig Jackson drilex1)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: In What Sense is Sun the "First" Open Systems Manufacturer?
Message-ID: <16677@drilex.UUCP>
Date: 24 Nov 90 22:14:39 GMT
References: <2940@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> <1990Nov21.194240.28355@Neon.Stanford.EDU> <1990Nov21.205753.13677@portia.Stanford.EDU> <4343@lib.tmc.edu>
Organization: DRI/McGraw-Hill, Lexington, MA
Lines: 31

In article <4343@lib.tmc.edu> jmaynard@thesis1.hsch.utexas.edu (Jay Maynard) writes:
> [ A response to an article asserting that IBM system software is public
>   domain, and discussing how Amdahl users get their O.S. software. ]
> [ It was pointed out that everything after MVS/SE is not PD. ]
>
>I don't know houw an Amdahl 5990 site would get MVS/ESA - or any other IBM
>program product - licensed, but I know it's possible; I do know that Amdahl
>users get their support from Amdahl, not IBM.

When we had our Amdahl, I believe our 'support' came from IBM for IBM code.
However, there were Amdahl patches which were required to run many products,
so we had to wait for each new release.

Amdahl gets their IBM software the same way that any other IBM owner would--
they of course have to buy one of nearly every processor IBM ships.
(At SHARE, the IBM user's group, Amdahl users technically cannot join.
However, site 'AMD' has always one of the biggest representations--legally,
because of their IBM boxes.  It's always interesting seeing an Amdahl
guy asking a 'user question' at an IBM presentation.  Caveat: things may
have changed, I haven't been to SHARE for about three years.)

All this gets around to: if you aren't in anti-trust danger, you can
do all you can to screw your competitors, especially cloners.  If you
*are* in anti-trust danger, the whole color of normal business decisions
changes.....  Whether a company is in danger depends on their size,
their attitude, and who occupies the White House.

-- 
Craig Jackson
dricejb@drilex.dri.mgh.com
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