[Info-vax] Ignorance promenade: On the nature of patching VMS

[Jan-Erik Soderholm]

Subcommandante XDelta wrote 2013-12-14 00:15:
> I really have to take an angle grinder to the scale, rust and verdigris
> on my VMS expertise, it is on the to-do list; my TDL is longer than
> Methuselahs beard and just as hairy, alas.
>
> Question:
>
> Is it possible that certain adustments to deep levels of VMS could not
> be achieved by the issuing of a patch, but would require the complete
> recompilation of the VMS kernel image?
>

Now, an patchset can update a lot of different files. There is no
reason these files could be part of the "kernel". Now, I'm not
realy sure of what the "kernel" is in VMS. I do not think that
it is some big file with a base OS image as in some other OS'es.

Code can run in "kernel mode", but that is something else.

So, I see no reason a patchset could not change just
about anything on the system.

Jan-Erik.

> (or whatever the correct terminology is)
>
> Whilst it is a question framed from genuine ignorance, it is also a
> trick question.
>
> The viability of certain VMS activism strategies are contingent upon the
> answer.
>
> Thank you.
>