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

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 3/10/2020 8:57 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 3/10/2020 6:50 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>> On 3/10/2020 5:41 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>> On 3/10/2020 9:57 AM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>> On 3/10/20 9:21 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>>> Something that did occur to me:
>>>>>
>>>>> 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.
>>
>>>> It was tried more than a decade ago.  How far it got and how
>>>> successful it was should be obvious by this point.  I have
>>>> often thought about a clones for the PDP-11 OSes which are
>>>> much simpler and have never gotten anywhere on that either.
>>>
>>> First you'd need a design, then it's simply a matter of coding.
>>>
>>> Maybe I don't have the "right attitude".  At this point in my life I
>>> can use VMS for "real work" and WEENDOZE for email and browsing.  I
>>> don't have the drive for more.  Aviation is much more fun.
>>
>> Yes. Design + coding.
>>
>> 20 million lines of code => more than 20000 man months of effort
> 
> For RSTS?  I doubt it.
> 
> Don't know about RSX.

For something like VMS.

I believe that is what we are discussing.

> The real question.  What language?

Per current practice:

Kernel - C
User land - C++

We all know that Hoff would serious consider Rust.

Some may want to consider Go.

Arne