[Info-vax] VMS Features I Wish Linux Had

[johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk]

On Sunday, 12 June 2016 11:32:34 UTC+1, Jan-Erik Soderholm  wrote:
> Den 2016-06-12 kl. 11:12, skrev Johnny Billquist:
> > On 2016-06-11 16:52, David Froble wrote:
> >> Johnny Billquist wrote:
> >>> On 2016-06-10 18:12, David Froble wrote:
> >>>> John E. Malmberg wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> One issue with the VMS terminal line editing is because it is handled
> >>>>> in the driver, it does not have access to the filesystem to allow it
> >>>>> to do filename completion.
> >>>>
> >>>> Not asking this just to be some smartass, even though that's what I am.
> >>>>
> >>>> :-)
> >>>>
> >>>> What is the relative value of such a feature?  Sure, developers might
> >>>> make use of it.  But end users of the applications may not even have a
> >>>> clue what a file is, and really, that's who the systems are for.
> >>>>
> >>>> Just like the many discussions on command line recall, what's the real
> >>>> value?
> >>>
> >>> Well, for those people, even the commandline itself is unknown, so of
> >>> course any additional features in this area are wasted.
> >>>
> >>> It's like asking what the additional value is of binoculars, if we're
> >>> talking about blind people. Of course the answer is "none". But is
> >>> that target group relevant in the discussion?
> >>>
> >>>     Johnny
> >>>
> >>
> >> If we're talking about where VSI should spend their limited development
> >> money, then yes, it's very relevant.
> >
> > So the question you are posing is if VSI should do any work on the command
> > line interface, because a lot of people are not using the command line
> > interface at all? Fair enough. That is a valid question.
> > Anyone know how many VMS users who do not use the command line interface?
> >
> >     Johnny
> >
> 
> What is a "VMS user"? Us three that manage the systems or the 2-300
> that actually uses the applications? And they have not access to DCL
> of course. Or are the end-users of the applications not "VMS users"?
> Maybe not...
> 
> And does my customer pay VMS licenses and support costs in reagard
> to us three system managers? Or for the support of the production
> in the factory?
> 
> I prefer that VSI spends money and efforts on things that makes our
> VMS systems better support the factory, then anything else. And file
> name completion is not amongst those things.
> 
> Jan-Erik.

Thank you JES. "Developers developers developers" was a great message,
for a company that wanted to get developers to support a new and
relatively unproven platform. But even Microsoft have moved away from
it.

Clearly VSI has lots of things to look at, both for right now and
for three to five years out. My crystal ball isn't working otherwise
I'd be offering specific helpful suggestions (not necessarily here
in public, mind you).

Improved command line recall (with or without filename completion)
isn't usually going to be a deal breaker. Improved support for CLIs
other than DCL might be interesting to potential developers and
potential customers and is already on the roadmap.

We'll see where it leads.