Re: will i5/OS get the OS/2 treatment? WAS: Jakarta POI - HWPF for word files

On 8/11/06, Jerry Adams <jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

History tends to indicate that, even after an OS is no longer enhanced,
IBM will not release it to open source or whatever.  Their support for
it will continue for a year or two after the last enhancement (release)
date.


By "history" I mean what transpired with other midrange operating
systems: SCP and SSP.  And I still know companies using these.  Their
systems are still running fine (as in, "as designed"), but they get no
support from IBM or any third party, as regards the OS.


But this is no different from other vendors.  I doubt that many of them
would think that it would be in their best interests to do so.  Has M$
release *any* DOS version to open source?  Or even any software from any
vendor that they acquired and then dumped?  Linux is an exception
because it wasn't initially designed and released by a vendor.  Open
Office is another exception.

It would only be fair and decent to open source it. After all IBM has
benefited from open source Linux and Apache. My guess is the past
history that will be the guide is HP/3000 and DEC VAX. Both in how
quickly they fell off the face of the earth and what corporate
decisions were made in regard to the stakeholders who were left
stranded.

-Steve