[Info-vax] Whither VMS?

[Paul Raulerson]

The "UNICS" moniker was only around for about 3 weeks -and it was a  
play on Multics.  Unix was presented to the PTB at AT&T as "UNICS" to  
tie it to Multics of course, but they walked out of the presentation  
to management with a name change - and Unix was born.

Note that it was presented as a working package (though it would be  
amazingly crude to us today, not even a full screen editor!) to do  
text processing in the AT&T Patent department.  <grin>  I believe the  
first use outside of AT&T was in 1970 or 1971. Can't remember which.

All of which is meaningless I suppose, because VMS didn't compete with  
Unix until they started moving VMS to workstations.
Putting VMS workstations in competition with Sun would have worked,  
but Dec blew the pricing back then.

All water under the bridge I suppose.  Lots of rumors flying around  
about porting VMS to x86 now though, which could really re-engergize  
the whole platform, if they put a really nice GUI on it. Or  
alternately, they could release an x86 VMS as open source, al la  
Linux. Might make a real competitor in the data center.

-Paul

On Sep 13, 2009, at 7:14 AM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:

> In article <h8h74h$ilo$03$2 at news.t-online.com>,
> 	Michael Kraemer <M.Kraemer at gsi.de> writes:
>> Bill Gunshannon schrieb:
>>> In article <h8dras$p7b$02$1 at news.t-online.com>,
>>> 	Michael Kraemer <M.Kraemer at gsi.de> writes:
>>>
>>>> Paul Anderson schrieb:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Unix is older than VMS but don't confuse me with the facts.  ;-)
>>>>
>>>> At worst the difference is a few years only
>>>> (and don't confuse Multics with Unix),
>>>> which is insignificant in hindsight of 30* years.
>>>
>>>
>>> Unix 1969
>>
>> that's Multics, not Unix.
>
> Actually, it was listed as Unics and I assume this is the very first
> attempt which is why I compared it to the 1975 date for VMS which
> wasn't a release but the "start of development".  Now, if you want
> to only compare finished products.....
>
>
>>
>>> VMS 1975
>>>
>>> That's 6 years.  A lifetime in this industry.
>>
>> But not in hindsight of 30+ years.
>> From the point of view of a teeny called Windoze 3.x,
>> both are as old as the hills.
>
> Never said they weren't but Unix is definitely the older brother.
> More importantly, one shold probably look at all the OSes that have
> come and gone, some not even lasting that measly 6 years.
>
> 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>
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