[Info-vax] VMS on remote desktops

[FredK]

"Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> wrote in message 
news:PrqdnbLBH5AWiE3RnZ2dnUVZ_g2dnZ2d at giganews.com...
> On 11/2/2010 5:19 AM, H Vlems wrote:
>> On 1 nov, 20:40, "FredK"<fred.nos... at dec.com>  wrote:
>>> There has been talk (here) about how VMS is used in the wild by the
>>> "developer" and small user community that c.o.v. represents fairly well.
>>> And how we don't listen.  I took it to heart.
>>>
>>> For years, as needed (and not often) - I run DECwindows applications to 
>>> a PC
>>> X11 emulator.  I telnet to VMS from my PC.  But for the most part - I 
>>> still
>>> use DECwindows with local graphics for VMS development - after all I am 
>>> a
>>> VMS engineer :-).
>>>
>>> PC emulators (or at least the one I use) seems to pretty much do what I 
>>> want
>>> when I need to.  But something that I don't do - and many of you do - is 
>>> to
>>> use other X11 clients - in particular Linux desktops (and others - OS/X,
>>> UNIX...) to do your work on VMS.
>>>
>>> So, I have set myself a modest goal to look at providing a more seamless
>>> integration of the remote desktop (Linux PC, thin client, etc) for the 
>>> VMS
>>> developer and user - with input from the community and without blindly
>>> making my own assumptions about useage.  From a "cookbook" to changes to 
>>> the
>>> DECwindows code, setup, or documentation, or more.  We'll see where it 
>>> goes.
>>>
>>> So.  If you have the desire, time and knowledge - on say what it took to
>>> setup your Mac, or your Linux PC, or other X11 client.  The more 
>>> detailed
>>> the better.  Not just "I used xmodmap to hack the keycodes" - but the
>>> specifics.  What fonts were missing?  Motif errors?  How did you end up
>>> solving the problems?  What were the tradeoffs you had to live with? 
>>> What
>>> would have helped?  What changes would help now and in the future?
>>>
>>> Note that from my perspective Alpha and Integrity is my target as 
>>> opposed to
>>> VAX.  The "new" desktop as opposed to the "old" (but I am interested in
>>> understanding how many people don't use CDE and why).  "Recent" versions 
>>> of
>>> DECwindows.  Types of usage - exporting VMS applications or the VMS 
>>> desktop.
>>> Mixing native remote desktop applications (Linux/UNIX/etc) and VMS
>>> applications.  Keyboard issues.  Font issues.  Locale issues (and non-US
>>> country issues).  Setup issues.  Security issues.  Even testing issues 
>>> :-)
>>>
>>> I have lots of information and ideas of my own...  but here's your 
>>> chance.
>>> All I do ask is that it doesn't become an excuse for bashing and long
>>> standing rants.  Nor am I suggesting anything leading to some new focus 
>>> on a
>>> VMS desktop or graphics... Nor should it be taken the other way - every
>>> system we ship today has integrated 2D graphics - which are not going 
>>> away.
>>> This is specific to integration with remote desktops.
>>
>> I run Reflection X on a Windows XP system and use XDMCP to select the
>> desired target host.
>> Occasionally I telnet to the remote host and use CREATE/TERM/PERM
>> (having Reflection X running as the X server on the pc).
>> Annoying things:
>> - double width /double height lines are displayed as two identical
>> lines
>> - keys on the numeric keyboard are improperly mapped
>> - Connections with VAX DECwindows produce a font not found error (I
>> know, out of scope)
>> Hans
>
> Have you mentioned this problem to the vendor?  I believe the vendor was 
> Attachmate.  Attachmate may have been acquired. . . .

The vendor is still Attachmate, and they bought WRQ.  Reflection for UNIX 
and VMS is the product I am familiar with and use to interact with my VMS 
systems from my PC.  That isn't an endorsement of the product - but it works 
well for me.  If there are areas that can be improved, and the vendor is 
interested - I'd certainly be willing to help.