[Info-vax] Whither VMS?

[Wilm Boerhout]

Richard B. Gilbert vaguely mentioned on 16-9-2009 18:44:

[snip]
> 
> I think you could make a very reasonable case that DCL is part of the O/S.
> 
> 1. DCL is part of system startup.
> 2. DCL is part of system shutdown.
> 3. DCL ships with the VMS binaries.
> 
> If you wanted to work at it, you could probably create a substitute or 
> modify something to substitute.  Since DEC never documented the entry to 
> supervisor mode or provided one (there is no CMSUPER()) you are pretty 
> much on your own.
> 
> I think that TGV and a few others have managed to reverse engineer it 
> but I don't think they have ever published the details of the interface.

DCL is the ultimate VMS exit handler. It prevents process deletion after 
image rundown. In my book, that makes it an integral part of the OS.

/Wilm