[Info-vax] An alternative history of computing

[gah4]

On Thursday, July 22, 2021 at 10:52:30 AM UTC-7, Simon Clubley wrote:

(snip)

> DECnet is not an open specification. 
> 
> Parts of it are fully open (the lower-level NSP and related stuff) but 
> most of the higher-level application protocols are fully closed. 
> 
> FAL is the only higher-level application protocol that is fully open. 
> 
> The public CTERM specification is missing all the VMS extensions. 

I don't know about openness, but I remember stories from the early 
VAX days on how expensive it was.  Expensive enough that people
would not network VAX systems because of the price.

Patents (if any) would have expired by now, though.