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

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2020-03-12 20:28:54 +0000, Dave Froble said:

> On 3/12/2020 1:27 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> 
>> As for itemlists and descriptors. Good ideas ~40 years ago. Now, not so much.
> 
> I'll see ya on that one, and raise.  Itemlists as implemented were 
> NEVER a good idea.  Way too much what Steve calls "glue code.  Maybe, 
> just maybe, they were the best option AVAILABLE at the time.  Start 
> with recalling the initial memory available on a VAX 11/780.
> 
> Ask why DEC provided the LIB$... and such routines.  It was to hide the 
> glue code from the customers.  Glue code isn't a bad thing.  It's what 
> makes OO type routines work.  It's better if it's not seen.

Glue code is code that gets repeated all over the place, and used to 
glue together the calls.
The code that is only needed because the API call needs it.
Look at OpenVMS system service calls, and what the set-up, tear-down, 
and error handling looks like.
All the code that far too often gets omitted from examples.
One copy of code that makes the API calls more robust to changes? That 
approach is far better.
Flexibility that itemlists make difficult, where the multiple-call 
approach is even used.
But I don't expect this OO work from VSI. Not any time soon. Closer to 
2030, maybe. For those of us that survive 2020.

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