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

[Dave Froble]

On 5/27/2018 7:32 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> 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 ?


Nope, not kidding one little bit.

For the person who is familiar with EDT, and it fills his needs, it's a 
great editor.  Are there some with more features?  Sure.  Does everyone 
want to learn them?  Not me.  Probably not lots of others.

Now, LSE might also be a good thing, if it was included int he base OS 
distribution.  don't know, never used it.

>> 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.

Well, one could have executables that could be invoked from a DCL 
procedure, but, they would not have by default the variables and such 
from DCL.


> 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.

Yes. Blame Palmer ...

>> DECnet (almost a part of VMS).
>
> Maybe in the 1980s. Totally unsuitable for any modern network.

Some DECnet functionality is still rather helpful.  The underlying 
protocols and security is dated or non-existant, can't have everything.

FAL and such implemented using IP could be rather helpful.

Note, "unsuitable" varies from entity to entity ....