[Info-vax] Reimplementing VMS, was: Re: HP adds OpenVMS Mature Product Support beyond the end of Standard Support

[Scott Dorsey]

Bill Gunshannon <billg999 at cs.uofs.edu> wrote:
>
>1. Actually porting the original VMS, while probably possible, is not
>a practical solution.

This is surely true.  It might have been a practical solution a decade ago,
but it has ceased to be.

>2. Apparently the idea that nothing but the original VMS is capable of
>doing the job is no longer true.

This is true, and it's something of a shame since there are fewer and fewer
commercial-grade operating systems out there.  On the other hand, networking
and redundancy have reduced the need for commercial-grade systems too.

>3. A VMS API and userland running on some other underlying kernel would
>meet the needs and satisfy the majority of remaining VMS users.

That's true, although it needs to be combined with a good dcl implementation
such as that of Boston Business Computing.  But it needs also to be a solid
system underneath... perhaps not as solid as VMS, but solid.

>4. "a re-implementation of vms system services, rtl, etc, has been done,
>using unix ipc mechanisms, etc

This is true, although again these all behave a little differently than the
originals, if only in terms of timing because the kernel design is different.

>Which leads us to the question:  Why is there not already a group
>working on an Open Source Complete VMS API capable of running on
>top of any POSIX infrastructure?  This would allow to pick their
>underlying architecture based on their needs, be it: Linux, BSD,
>Solaris, Mach, whatever.  Seesm this would make more sense than
>the current "porting project" that meets several times a month.
>And could be accomplished by pretty much the same people.

Mostly because the people who want VMS have either moved off to some other
system by now, or they are willing to pay for a solution.  Remember, these
are people who are using to paying for VMS support, so the notion of paying
for reliable and supported software is not alien to them.
--scott

-- 
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."