[Info-vax] VMS Software needs to port VAX DIBOL to OpenVMS X86 platform

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/5/21 1:51 AM, Tim Sneddon wrote:
> Rich Alderson <news at alderson.users.panix.com> wrote:
>> "Craig A. Berry" <craigberry at nospam.mac.com> writes:
>>
>>> On 12/26/20 9:43 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>> On 2020-12-26, Craig A. Berry <craigberry at nospam.mac.com> wrote:
>>
>>>>> On 12/26/20 9:21 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>>>> On 2020-12-26, Arne Vajh??j <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
>>>>>>> On 12/26/2020 6:16 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>
>>>>>>>> Is anyone still using PL/I BTW ?
>>
>>>>>>>> I thought DEC sold off the PL/I compiler and that the person it was
>>>>>>>> sold to retired and either sold off or wound down his business.
>>
>>>>>>> Kednos & Tim Sneddon?
>>
>>>>>>> Arne
>>
>>>>>> Yes, that was him. Thanks for reminding me of the name.
>>
>>>>> It was Tom Linden, not Tim, who owned Kednos.  I think Tim worked there
>>>>> at some point and kednos.com now redirects to Tim's endlesssoftware.com.
>>
>>>> Thanks for the correction. It's not a language I have ever used and
>>>> I have long forgotten any detailed knowledge of who PL/I was sold to.
>>
>>> I've never used it either and I know nothing about current ownership or
>>> plans.  I just remember that it came up in discussions of what gets lost
>>> in a platform port.
>>
>>> There is a now-moribund PL/I project for the GCC back end:
>>
>>> <http://pl1gcc.sourceforge.net>
>>
>>> and there is a proprietary compiler that runs on Linux:
>>
>>> <http://www.iron-spring.com/about.html>
>>
>>> Both of these emulate IBM PL/I and would likely require a monumental
>>> effort to replace DEC PL/I.
>>
>> As I remember the book on the VAX (VMS) port, the goal was very much to
>> "emulate" (implement) IBM PL/I, so I doubt that there would be that much
>> effort for any implementation with the same goal...
> 
> I don't think so.  DEC PL/I was a port of the PL/I compiler developed by
> Robert Freibourghouse.  The DEC team even ported it off of a Multics
> system.  The real target was ANSI Subset G (general purpose) PL/I as
> I understand it.

PL/I Subset G!  Wow...  Haven't heard that name since my days doing
Prime 50-Series..  :-)

bill