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

[Simon Clubley]

On 2020-03-11, Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
> On 3/11/2020 9:22 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> On 2020-03-10, Dave Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Really off the wall, since Macro-32 is not part of the OS.
>>
>> Oh yes it most certainly is.
>>
>> The need to support Macro-32 as an application programming language is
>> the reason why the various VMS APIs look the way they do.
>>
>> It's also one of the reasons why VMS needs mixed mode 32-bit/64-bit APIs
>> in the same process instead of just having a flag that says the current
>> process uses either 32-bit or 64-bit pointers and addressing by default.
>
> Supporting what allows use of Macro-32 does not mean that the language 
> is part of the OS.
>

But the point is that it's not about supporting Macro-32, but limiting
what the OS can do in its various APIs if it has to provide support for
applications written in assembly language.

There was a time when there was a real need to write applications in
assembly language. That time has now passed.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.