[Info-vax] Using VMS for a web server

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <5b4d3$5572eb23$5ed4324a$44010 at news.ziggo.nl>,
	Dirk Munk <munk at home.nl> writes:
> 
> 
> I applied for a VMS job several months ago. During the job interview I 
> was asked about my knowledge on all kind of other things, but not on 
> VMS. I wasn't an expert on those areas, so they said that would be a 
> problem. When I replied that they were asking for a VMS expert, they 
> never mentioned those other areas of expertise. Well, that was true, but 
> the VMS system had the habit of doing what it was suppose to do, and it 
> had been doing that for years. It never needed any human assistance or 
> intervention. In fact I would have almost nothing to do if my only work 
> would be maintaining the VMS system.

Not surprising.  A few years ago (the first time I retired from the
University :-) I applied for a job as a COBOL programmer for the Navy
down in GA.  Same thing.  After the interview when they asked if I had
any questions I said the same thing.  "This is supposed to be a COBOL
Programmer job but you asked no questions about COBOL."  They just kinda
shrugged it off with a comment of, "I guess you're right."  About four
months into the jb they started scheduling me to go to courses opn PL/SQL
and Crystal Reports and other non-COBOL stuff.  And when I asked about it
the answer was, "Oh, we're getting rid of the COBOL.  We're going to re-
write it all in PL/SQL and Crystal Reports."  Two months later I left.
So, did you take the job?  :-)

> 
> To be fair, other systems can be made to run very reliable as well, but 
> quite often systems are set up to run, not to run reliable. The drive to 
> build reliable systems often just isn't there.
 
The only place I hear that is here.  My VMS system (more than a decade ago)
was more reliable than the one's run by the University data center.  My
Unix and Windows servers today are v ery reliable.  Moreso than the affore-
mentioned University data center VMS systems.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>