[Info-vax] The best VMS features, was: Re: openvms renaming file

[Kerry Main]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Info-vax <info-vax-bounces at rbnsn.com> On Behalf Of Simon Clubley
> via Info-vax
> Sent: May 27, 2018 7:32 PM
> To: info-vax at rbnsn.com
> Cc: Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP>
> Subject: [Info-vax] The best VMS features, was: Re: openvms renaming
file
> 
> On 2018-05-27, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply)
> <helbig at asclothestro.multivax.de> wrote:
> >
> > Certainly in the top-ten list of most useful VMS features.  Off the
top
> > of my head, others would be:
> > HBVS,
> 
> Yes
> 
> > clustering,
> 
> Yes (big time)
> 
> > logical names,
> 
> Yes
> 
> > decent HELP and other documentation,
> 
> The HELP command on VMS is utterly useless unless you already know
> exactly what you are looking for and don't need to navigate between
> topics.
> 
> > fine-grained privileges,
> 
> They are ok, but it's still DAC security instead of MAC security.
> 
> They would also be more effective if VMS was a 4-mode operating system
> instead of just being a 2-mode operating system with one of the modes
> split across 3 hardware modes.
> 
> > EDT,
> 
> You are kidding, right ?
> 
> > lexical functions,
> 
> Lexical functions are a good idea but limited. It would be nice if
> it were possible for a site to create a library of site specific
> lexicals that could be used in site specific code.
> 
> Maybe after VSI fixes everything else that is wrong with DCL.
> 
> > Rdb (almost a part of VMS),
> 
> It would have been nice to have a proper database instead of the RMS
> implemention of indexed files (which have _not_ aged well) as a
> guaranteed part of VMS and which _any_ application could use.
> 

[snip..]

One needs to remember that no other platform provides native relational
DB's as part of the OS either.

For those with grey or thinning hair, they might remember that in a
previous lifetime, OpenVMS did ship with a Rdb runtime environment as
part of the OS.

Having stated this, we all know a new log based file system (VAFS) is
cooking in the VSI backrooms now. One likely performance benefit is that
it will also use a write behind cache strategy that is similar to the
deferred write strategy that *nix/Windows platforms use today.

Reference:
<http://www.vmsconsultancy.com/download/NL-VMSUpdate-2017/Amstelveen%20U
pdate%20Nov%202017.pdf>


Regards,

Kerry Main
Kerry dot main at starkgaming dot com