[Info-vax] Decwindows Motif V1.1 kit

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2019-05-29 07:35:33 +0000, Paul Hardy said:

> As I said, this is a software archaeology project, trying to archive a 
> piece of digital mapping history for posterity. As such I’m trying not 
> to touch the original code, but allow it to be seen in emulation on 
> modern hardware.

So following one of the classic tenets of "enterprise computing", eh?

Of expending substantial time and effort toward the goal of not fixing 
the latent incompatibilities and toward never updating the software to 
work in the current era, and for $reasons.

If you really want to preserve the software, update it to something 
approaching current Motif. That'll keep it around for a few more years.

Otherwise, this project is little different from a one-off port or a 
back-port.  Yes, there can be reasons for that, but you're already on 
emulation, so...  why not?

Yeah, I know there are folks that want to experience the era—an era of 
constrained and unstable hardware and software—and this is entirely 
your project.

And as mentioned earlier, protections, process quotas, and outright 
DECwindows bugs were common back then. It's easy to get into trouble 
using the SYSTEM user, too.  This due to file ownerships and 
protections and access on created files. And variously, some of these 
created files are then shared by non-privileged users.  Users which can 
then encounter access errors, and from which DECwindows sometimes just 
tips over.

Welcome to experiencing that era.  Just as can result from various 
"enterprise computing" efforts seeking to avoid the benefits of those 
same fixes and updates.


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