[Info-vax] OpenVMS printing to PDF

[David Froble]

Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> On 2015-05-19 00:34:21 +0000, David Froble said:
> 
>> Correction, decent tools for Postscript and PDF are not distributed 
>> with VMS.  At least in my mind an OS should have no knowledge of such 
>> tools, and therefore doesn't support them as such.  Now, if "support" 
>> indicates that tools will run on a particular OS, well, that's another 
>> definition.
> 
> We differ, then.   RTF and PDF and the Microsoft Office formats are now 
> typical file formats that get passed around, and something that 
> integrated and add-on applications are expected to deal with.  That 
> means that there's either add-on software, or there's integrated software.
> 
> I've done the piecemeal configuration work for far too long with 
> OpenVMS, and the ever-lengthening list of dependencies and the hassles 
> involved in integrating and testing all the different permutations 
> gets... hairy.   I much prefer a package that has already been tested, 
> and particularly when I can shut off unnecessary services, but can 
> easily enable and use the services that are necessary, and all without 
> having to do my own installation and integration work.  If some service 
> is later needed, it can be easily enabled and started.
> 
> Other folks are fond of a stripped-down and minimal and embedded server 
> environment, and a menu of pieces and parts that are added.  In older 
> OpenVMS terms, some of these configurations are even tailored.  In 
> others, they start absolutely minimally, and are then purpose-built.   
> But these stripped down and embedded configurations are harder to 
> program and administer and maintain and patch, and are harder to 
> distribute for particularly when you're not dealing with a dedicated 
> server; when you have to operate with other environments and tools.  You 
> get to maintain all of what you've added, and watch for security updates 
> and bug fixes and the rest.
> 
> The OpenVMS integration of some of the more common add-on pieces and 
> packages can vary, too.   It's often not at all OpenVMS-like for those 
> that are fond of that, and end-users then have to deal with how  the 
> package is installed, integrated, maintained and/or patched.  For 
> examples of where these issues tend to appear to end-user folks, 
> OpenSSL, CDSA, LDAP and Kerberos and other pieces are not particularly 
> integrated into OpenVMS, and not how I'd prefer to see OpenVMS support 
> encryption and certificates and distributed security.  It'd be nice if 
> there was one certificate store, for instance.   All of these pieces are 
> necessary for security in many environments.  But they're not 
> particularly integrated with OpenVMS and its applications and layered 
> products.
> 
> Much like having embedded security features within OpenVMS (and 
> hopefully, embedded TLS support across the various common tools and 
> applications, but I digress), having embedded support for RTF and PDF 
> and other such formats means there are fewer things to deal with, and I 
> can spend more time on my applications and less time on supporting 
> common infrastructure.
> 
> What I'm "whining" about here are increasingly considered "table stakes" 
> for operating systems, too.  The stuff that new users can expect to have 
> available.
> 
> 

Yes, I see that, and I do agree with much of it.  You know how the 
security stuff is affecting me.

Now I know that I'm being a bit sensitive about this, but, it's me, and 
it's how I read things.  When I see wishes for stuff distributed with an 
OS, I wonder where there is any room for third party applications.

That's what I do.  I solve problems.  I solve them by first 
understanding them, and then designing and implementing applications to 
address the needs.  No room left for me if "everything" is bundled with 
the OS.  Nor is it possible for that to happen.

So when I see requests for much to be provided with an OS, I feel that 
perhaps some of that is trying to have "one size fits all".

Or, perhaps it's the rain, and I have nothing better to do than bitch ..