[Info-vax] Java on VMS, was: Re: So is there still a hobbyist program or not

[Simon Clubley]

On 2019-07-21, Bill Gunshannon <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 7/21/19 8:21 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> 
>> I would say they are both in legacy status as opposed to dead.
>> 
>
> Most people in the industry would say that VMS is in legacy mode.
>
> Should we treat it the same way people want to treat COBOL?
>

VMS is indeed the COBOL of the operating system world and in more
ways than one.

For example, VMS, while being a legacy system, also still has
a significant user base that would like to remain on VMS if possible.

Both would also not be used for general purpose computing these
days, but both also have niches for which they are very well
suited indeed, if it still economically viable to maintain the
use of them in those niches.

In fact, the VMS user base is still large enough it is economically
viable for a company to spend the last 5 years porting VMS to a
current architecture.

Both COBOL and VMS are in a managed decline phase, but both will
also remain in use in production systems for some time to come
(especially if VSI can get the x86-64 port into production use in
the not too distant future.)

Simon.

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