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

[Simon Clubley]

On 2020-03-11, Bob Eager <news0073 at eager.cx> wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Mar 2020 18:35:22 +0000, Simon Clubley wrote:
>
>> The modern BSDs: yes, I certainly agree
>> 
>> VMS: no way
>> 
>> Any so-called modular interfaces within VMS have no real benefit to the
>> end-user. It's one of the things which could be massively improved in a
>> VMS built using modern concepts.
>> 
>> For example, you can't remove a driver after it's loaded, you can't plug
>> a new filesystem into the XQP and from what I can tell, anything you can
>> add via an ACP is an undocumented mess which needs access to the VMS
>> source code to even begin to understand how to do it.
>
> Some drivers could be removed. And I was thinking 'modular' in terms of 
> loading different code for different VAX models.
>

Drivers can no longer be unloaded on Alpha and above.

I don't know if VSI have any plans to address this for x86_64.

> But I agree there is a lot that is messy. I have had experience of 
> writing drivers that work with their own ACP!
>

:-)

Simon.

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