From: dongray@cdclu1.genrad.com (Derek Dongray)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: DECwindows ==> Motif license upgrade
Date: 31 Jul 92 09:48:16 GMT
Organization: The Internet

>     For good or ill, the requirement is a legal one - Digital is legally
>     obligated to pay fees to the owners of some [necessary] software that
>     we've incorporated into our Motif implementation.  I wasn't aware that the
>     license fee was high; I thought it was actually pretty small (less than
>     US $100).

I wouldn't mind so much if it was that low ...

	VS3100		 225 pounds	approx  $400
	uVAX II		 630 pounds	approx $1100
	Vax4200		1500 pounds	approx $2700
	Vax4300		2100 pounds	approx $3800

Even after discount, the cost of licensing all our machines would be over
US$ 10000.

>     I don't think this is entirely true; the part about mixed XUI/Motif
>     environments being impossible certainly isn't.  After installing Motif,
>     you can continue to use XUI instead of the Motif interface by removing the
>     autostarted `Window Manager' and starting the `XUI Window Manager'
>     instead.  And you can then propagate the change in the DECW$SM*.DAT
>     file(s) to those workstations that don't have the Motif license.

Where is this documented? It could be very useful for us to do this as our
other reason for not upgradingis that we have a number of local applications
used in a production environment which would need to be tested on Motif before
we changed everyone over.

>     I'm not sure, but I think the Motif license is on a per-environment basis,
>     not per-seat or per-system, so one may be sufficient for an entire
>     VAXcluster system.

I don't think that it can be true as all of my DW-MOTIF PAKs (for VS3100s)
"NUMBER OF UNITS 10". However, they also say "KEY OPTIONS MOD_UNITS" so in
theory could be used on any machine, although this would probably be illegal
(or at least in contravention of T&C) if done as a standard method of running
the system.

>                         I could easily (very!) be wrong, though, so don't
>     quote me on that.

Since you posted to INFO-VAX, I think you must allow yourself to be "quoted"
:-)

>                        This is me speaking as an individual user of Motif, not
>     as an employee or spokesthing for Digital Equipment Corporation.

I don't suppose there's any chance of getting a non-disclaimed statement from
DEC on this issue? I'll have a further talk with my local DEC office, but,
although their field service is excellent, I find them almost useless when it
comes to questions like this. I suspect they have to route all such queries
halfway round the world or something!

>     #ken    :-)}	Jeratol the Chaotic
>
> Coar@Nephi.Enet.DEC.Com	 | All opinions herein contained, stated or implied,
> Coar@DECUS.Org		 | are solely those of the author.  And he's fullovem.
> Coar@Eisner.DECUS.Org	 | `... it was mine art, ... that made gape the pine
> Massachusetts, USA       | and let thee out.'  - Prospero (_The Tempest_)

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