[Info-vax] VMS port to x86

[Phillip Helbig---undress to reply]

In article <slrnjseja2.ul.jkb at rayleigh.systella.fr>, JKB
<jkb at koenigsberg.invalid> writes: 

> > As others have already pointed out, x86-64 will be with us for a very
> > long time. Not having our favorite OS run directly on silicon we leave
> > it on "death row"

This might be true.

> 	If you want to keep VMS alive, you must have a VMS port to amd64.

Maybe.

> 	I'm not sure that HP would start this kind of development. 

I don't know.

> 	Thus, conclusion
> 	is very simple, we have to start to write a VMS clone to show to HP
> 	that we wait for a x86 port.

Either this clone has the power of VMS or it doesn't.  If it does, then 
why would anyone buy VMS from HP?  If it doesn't, how would it pressure 
HP into anything?  (This leaves aside the question whether a VMS clone 
would be legal.)

> 	Ten years ago, I have started with some other VMS addicts this kind
> 	of project. 

But doesn't this illustrate the problem?  10 years is a long time in IT, 
and there is no usable VMS clone to come out of this.

> 	Now, I have restarted from scratch to obtain a portable
> 	OS over a microkernel that contains all required VMS capabilities.
> 	If you want to contribute, you're welcome. Today, FreeVMS needs a
> 	pager to continue and I don't have time enough to write it.

While I'm willing to believe that a Finnish student could write a unix 
kernel in a few weeks, I fail to see how even a large group---say 100 
people working full time---could even hope to come up with something 
which looks like VMS.  Think of all the resources which went into 
creating VMS in the first place.