[Info-vax] Good/best version of (Open)VMS for a VAXstation 2000?

[Hans Vlems]

On 25 mei, 17:09, "Mike K." <madcrow.maxw... at gmail.com> wrote:
> Recently an emulator of the VAXstation 2000 has become available on
> the 'Net and as I'd like to try out some of the actual VAX graphics
> software that using it should make possible, I'm wondering if anybody
> knows what version of (Open)VMS should fit best onto a system with
> only 14 MB of RAM...

"Only 14 MB"??? That's a joke surely? 14 MB is the maximum for a
VAXstation 2000 and more than enough
provided you run the correct software on it. The system was built to
run VMS V4.x and a light-weight windows subsystem.
So any VMS version that uses Motif/DECwindows just won't do. You need
a VAXstation 4000 model 90 or faster to make that run.
Just read the other comments, they support this statement.
So what you should install is:
- VAX/VMS V4.7
- DECnet phase IV endnode
- VWS : this is DECwindows classic, from a distance it looks like
Apple's desktop
That's it. That setup runs quite well and its response time is rather
good. Don't forget that these systems were designed in 1985/'86 and
sold until 1988. The VAX 11/750 and 11/785 were still in use and
usually fitted with less than14 MB.
VMS V7.3 is more efficient than its predecessors but also has a lot
more functionality built in that has no use on a standalone VAXstation
2000. VMS V4.7 is a much smaller OS.
I have two VS2000's, one has an RD54 (now more or less a dead disk)
and that had Pascal,
Fortran and Rdb installed as well.
The other is fitted with an RD53 and that runs just the OS. It's only
there because I hate to throw away working equipment.
Hans