[Info-vax] 2009 VMS Bootcamp notice

Bill Gunshannon billg999 at cs.uofs.edu
Fri Jan 23 08:32:00 EST 2009


In article <glc32k$ca0$1 at tempo.update.uu.se>,
	Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> writes:
> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> In article <glatl6$4e9$1 at tempo.update.uu.se>,
>> 	Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> writes:
>>> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>> In article <TqLL22IXgJHp at spock.koehler.athome.net>,
>>>> 	koehler at spock.koehler.athome.net writes:
>>>>> In article <f_udnQFNAIAMN_HUnZ2dnUVZ_vzinZ2d at giganews.com>, "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> writes:
>>>>>> So learn Unix.  It's not VMS, and never will be, but Unix people will be 
>>>>>> in demand long after VMS is laid to rest!
>>>>>   UNIX people will be in demand after VMS people only because VMS will
>>>>>   just keep quietly running along with no attention.
>>>> God, when will this myth finally end.  I have a Unix box here that has seen
>>>> no attention since it was installed in July of 2004 other than continuing to
>>>> add new user accounts every semester.
>>> Really? That should be a very insecure system in that case.
>>> I don't know of a single version of Unix (not even OpenBSD) which 
>>> haven't had atleast some CERT alerts serious enough to require upgrades 
>>> and serious checkups.
>>>
>>> Not that I'm claiming any superiority of VMS, but the unbiased Unix 
>>> praise sometimes can go a bit too far.
>> 
>> I have never claimed Unix is invulnerable.  That is the ballywick of
>> the VMS fanatics.
> 
> But you did claim that you have a Unix system which you haven't since 
> you installed it in July 2004 (except for adding users). 

Which merely matched the VMS claim of 5.x years without being touched
that was coupled with the claim you can't do that with Unix.

>                                                           And I question 
> if that is a good thing. 

Experience seems to prove it isn't a bad thing.  If your not running things
with holes in them you don't have to fix those things.

>                           Since those systems actually do need attention 
> (as do VMS).

The attention needed depends on what the machine is doing and what
attention one feels is necessary.  The box in question has one task
to perform, a major one in my infrastructure, but one task just the
same.  It is just fine at it's current level of OS and needed software
for that task.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  How many times have
we been regaled with stories of machines still running VMS 5.5?  Unix
is no different.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>   



More information about the Info-vax mailing list