[Info-vax] Roadmap

[Simon Clubley]

On 2019-01-03, gezelter at rlgsc.com <gezelter at rlgsc.com> wrote:
> On Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at 9:51:03 AM UTC-5, John Reagan wrote:
>> On Tuesday, January 1, 2019 at 8:26:51 PM UTC-5, Richard Maher wrote:
>> > 
>> > And you added that new/optional parameter to math$random right?
>> 
>> I'm not falling for that again...  The last time I suggested such a thing, I got schooled in PRNGs.
>> 
>> Seriously, we've been talking about PRNGs, entropy pools, OpenSSL, etc.  Having access to the underlying x86 instructions (either as C builtins, new MATH$ entry points, enhanced MATH$ entry points, etc.) will be a part of that.
>
> John,
>
> My recommendation would be for an essentially "flat" port, with changes deferred to a later point.
>

The problem with that is that while it can apply to much of VMS,
security is an ever changing goal and VMS needs various things
to be fixed as soon as possible.

I would also hope VSI isn't exclusively using the Intel hardware
generator by default for security critical functionality.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world