[Info-vax] Creating an open source version of VMS, was: Re: OpenVMS Hobbyist Notification

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2020-03-10 13:21:08 +0000, Simon Clubley said:

> On 2020-03-09, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) 
> <helbig at asclothestro.multivax.de> wrote:
> 
> I wonder, if someone tried to create an open source version of VMS from 
> public documentation only, if VSI would somehow try to suppress 
> development of it.

Entirely up to the parties involved.

Certainly also subject to certain outcomes of at least one high-profile 
case currently under litigation: Google v. Oracle America. Which will 
reportedly be argued later this month.

Though in the case of OpenVMS, I'm not aware of proceedings involving 
FreeVMS or Sector7.

> There are a number of possibilities here, if you focus on application 
> level source code compatibility and break compatibility at a lower 
> level instead, in which you could produce something which runs a good 
> number of existing applications but which has a _much_ cleaner and more 
> functional operating system underneath.

Akin to what Sector7 provides, in other words.  You're still looking at 
a large development effort, and a decade-long investment, and for what 
is currently a very small market, and where the primary vendor is 
exiting and where the acquiring vendor is seemingly not exactly rolling 
in cash, and where there are more popular operating systems available.

> Think about how Linux is much more functional and cleaner underneath 
> when compared to the original versions of Unix, yet can still compile 
> and run earlier Unix application level source code.

I'd put something newer underneath than the Linux kernel, if y'all 
decide to start over.




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