[Info-vax] FYI: A Communique from the VMS Liberation Front

[Subcommandante XDelta]

Hola comp.os.vms collegiates,

It is but a scant five days away to '25.10' (2012) the 35th Anniversary
of the mighty, unstoppable and unkillable, VMS.

Heretical admission, but we have not been keeping up with the
comp.os.vms conversation as diligently as we might, because the VMS
Liberation Front have been busy preparing their special 35th Anniversary
tribute to Vernon, as health and circumstances permit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festschrift

However we have dipped into the odd topic or two and were particularly
impressed with the conversation in the post topic entitled:

"What is the draw of VMS?"

And that got the VLF thinking that a 'Shrift' for the VMS Operating
System would be a fitting 35th Anniversary tribute. In such a Postscript
those that know VMS best after decades of deep familiarity describe it's
virtues, unique qualities, it's limitations and it's future potential,
damn straight, no gilding of the lily.

Any such contribution to the Festschrift could contain both general
observations and specific observations and insights derived from the
specialised expertise of the contributor, whether it be VMS Architect,
VMS Engineer, System administrator, Capacity Planner, Operations
Manager, Operator(!), Systems Programmer, Applications Programmer,
Network Administrator and so on.

Any such compiled Festschrift would not be a eulogy or a hagiography but
an unambiguous testament to 35 years of excellence, and a foundation for
the next 35 years of VMS, from surviving back to thriving.

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/20th/

The 'OpenVMS at 20 Nothing Stops it' book is both a nostalgic joy and a
pain to ready, particularly when reminded of the 'Affinity' program
(really the Asininity program) signed off by Palmer and Gates in 1995.

Now the real history of VMS, 1997-2012 needs be written, but not by some
PR hack and running dog of HP Management. Such a bracingly honest
history could be part of the Festschrift too.

'OpenVMS at 35 Nothing Kills it'

Calling VMS old hat and yesterday's technology is as dissembling and
specious as criticising your DNA and immune system.

VMS may well be chained in it's itanium Itanic Sarcophagus at the HP
Hospice in an induced coma with a starvation drip-feed and (mixing
metaphors) the virile bull of it's VMS Engineering heart ripped out and
replaced with a carcass hide propped up on four sticks with a tin voice
box that bleats "moo", however, there is still a pulse...

VMS - Unstoppable, Unkillable!

Shoot the messengers, if that is your inclination, but do not shoot the
message:

A proper, formal, comp.os.vms 'Festschrift for Vernon': it needs to
happen, VMS deserves it.

If someone other than the VLF would care to open a ' for Vernon' topic
thank you. Any such topic would only accrete contributions to the
Festschrift for the next three weeks, say, and no discussion of the
contributions at all - otherwise the topic thread would get unmanageably
complex.

Thank you.

Saludos cordiales,

Subcommandate XDelta
p.p. Subcommandante BYPASS

On Fri, 07 Sep 2012 09:19:56 +1000, Subcommandante XDelta
<vlf at star.enet.dec.com> wrote:

>Hola comp.os.vms collegiates,
>
>This is another communique from the VLF, the VMS Liberation Front, the
>DELTA:: Splinter Node, to be precise.
>
>Like VMS, the VLF are not dead yet.
>
>As you are well aware, the 35th Anniversary of the mighty VMS
>Operating System is soon upon us:
>
>A countdown timer: http://is.gd/The_35th_Anniversary_Of_VMS
>
>This is a relevant, exigent, to-do list:
>
>digital-to_do_list-pad-save_vms-action_item.zip
>
>http://www.datafilehost.com/download-708c78b3.html
>http://rghost.net/40227261
>
>These are authentic digital to-do-list pad blank templates for
>commissioning your own action items:
>
>digital-to_do_list-pad-blank_template-action_item.zip
>
>http://www.datafilehost.com/download-854ffa7d.html
>http://rghost.net/40227223
>
>Share and deploy.
>
>Saludos cordiales,
>
>Subcommandante XDelta
>p.p. Subcommandante BYPASS
>
>The VMS Liberation Front - DELTA:: Node - In VMS We Trust.
>http://dee.su/liberte mailto:vlf at hush.com https://forms.hush.com/vlf

>$!---------------------- damn straight --------------------------
>$ opprobrium/level=kittens/mode=conniptions/input=VLF:/output=NL:
>$!----------------------- 'nuff said ----------------------------