[Info-vax] X86 first boot? - A Really Stupid Question

[Scott Dorsey]

Simon Clubley  <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> wrote:
>
>While device drivers are not exactly a major issue for a normal VMS
>customer :-), this whole relying on old sources of information and
>acquired knowledge is still a problem in the VMS world.

Yes.  VMS was once the best-documented operating system around, with the
Big Grey Wall and a large amount of additional documentation.  Because that
documentation was so extensive, it became difficult to maintain as resources
for VMS support began to dwindle.  Some parts were prioritized to keep up
to date, others, like the device driver manuals, dropped off the radar.

The thing is, you can bring some documentation up to date, and you can abandon
other, but anything you abandon people will someday pull out of a closet
somewhere and start using anyway.

>VMS (in all areas) is going to have to be easier for new people
>to get onboard with if VSI want to attract new customers.

Today peoples' expectations for documentation are different than they once
were.   Nobody expects the Big Grey Wall, but they do expect better
introductory material than they did 30 years ago.  And everybody expects 
online docs.
--scott

-- 
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."