[Info-vax] VMS Features I Wish Linux Had

[Jan-Erik Soderholm]

Den 2016-06-12 kl. 17:14, skrev Johnny Billquist:
> On 2016-06-12 14:47, Jan-Erik Soderholm wrote:
>> Den 2016-06-12 kl. 14:12, skrev Johnny Billquist:
>>> That is the question, though. Isn't it? Are the majority of users not
>>> using
>>> DCL in the first place,
>>
>> I'd guess that 1 or 2 out of 1.000 VMS "users" are exposed to DCL.
>
> Interestingly low number, but you might be right on that.
>
>>> then any new features and functionality in there
>>> will not be asked for either.
>>>
>>> It's funny, though. I think we've had a whole bunch of threads where
>>> people
>>
>> Not me. :-)
>
> True.
>
>>> have asked for improvements and replacements for DCL, and now suddenly
>>> everyone...
>>
>> Doesn't seem to be "everyone", see the threads you quoted above. :-)
>
> Yeah, I was deliberately making it a bit more extreme.
>
>>> is saying that this is not needed, and the current DCL is
>>> perfectly fine as it is, along with the terminal driver.
>>>
>>> Oh well. I know that *none* I have ever talked to, who have been
>>> exposed to
>>> shells/CLIs with filename expansion have ever wanted to go back after
>>> that
>>> experience.
>>
>> I have never said that it isn't a good thing. I'm just saying that 99%
>> of our "VMS users" couldn't care less. My customer don't care if this
>> would be nice for *me* to have, if it doesn't make any difference
>> for their factory.
>
> I believe you.
>
>>> But lots of people who have never been exposed to it claim that
>>> it's not a very useful feature.
>>>
>>
>> I have never it isn't a useful feature. It just doesn't matter.
>>
>>> Well, I'm not going to force anyone to use it. I have it in RSX, and that
>>> is my weapon of choice anyway. Another reason not to move to VMS...
>>
>> Most seems to have a hard time getting their sites *stying* with VMS... :-)
>
> Well, here is another thought for you.
> Who are the ones trying to move off from VMS? I doubt it's the users who
> don't even know what a file is, much less a command line interface.
>
> It's more likely the few persons who actually know what a command line
> interface is, and who are doing development, who are the ones that want to
> move to something else...

No, it is those paying the bills and matching the cost against the value
for the site, and they know aboslutely nothing about VMS. The fact that the 
current systems serves the site very well at a low cost, is the
reason the systems are still there. The fact that they run VMS doesn't
matter, as long as that fact doesn't become an issue in itself.

The risk of not beeing able to get competent people to work with the
systems is a far larger "risk" then missing file name completion.

As long as the work and cost to replace the systems is far higher then
to continuing using them, they'll stay. Byt then, we also have to show
they we can follow the stream with web interfaces and other integration
and cooperative features. File name completion is not such an feature.





> So if you want to keep your VMS customers, maybe those few actually carry a
> lot of weight and importance here?
>
>     Johnny
>