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Aucbvax.6461 fa.works utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!works Fri Mar 12 11:32:00 1982 software releases >From WALKER@Cmu-20c Thu Mar 11 21:17:09 1982 Software releases will only be different in the future in that there will be many more machines, and any individual one may not have a boot device. Things that will continue to have releases are all the standard computer company software, such as OS, compilers, DBMS, etc. Obviously these must be backward compatible with applications packages. So what's new? As long as the interfaces are compatible, there will be no problem.

As to the physical mechanism for distributing software, it can follow the old style of sending a new tape or floppy. This would be mounted on an individual machine, or on a network server and then boot over the net. The CMU VAXs already do this since 12 VAXs share 2 tape drives over an Ethernet.

The other obvious alternative is simply to ship the new software via network. Berkeley is hooked to our VAXs. So is DEC. In principle, all new software releases could be shipped via ARPAnet and Ethernet.

I simply haven't heard anything that makes me think that selling and servicing software will be any different (except as mentioned above) than it is now. Remember that large machines already have the capability for remote diagnosis via the phone of hardware and software problems while the machine is up and running. --------

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