[Info-vax] Security, support and VMS, was: Re: A new VMS?

[Simon Clubley]

On 2021-05-04, Bill Gunshannon <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 5/4/21 8:11 AM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> VMS is not Unix or Windows.
>> 
>> This is good because it has functionality that neither of them have.
>> 
>
> I was going to let this slide by, but it just stuck in my
> craw.
>
> What "functionality" does VMS have that Unix and Windows don't?
>
> Remember, we are talking "functionality", not just doing something
> in a different manner.
>

Doing something in a different manner can by itself can bring additional
functionality.

For example:

Both VMS and Unix have clusters. The VMS version is unique compared
to how everyone else does it.

Everyone is used to a C language style syscall API. The VMS way is
very different and brings additional functionality but also major
restrictions due to its lower-level nature.

It's easier for someone to probe functionality if it is implemented
in the same way as on other operating systems. VMS offers a lot of
that, but it also offers functionality that is implemented in a way
that someone who is only familiar with Unix or Windows will never
have seen before.

Simon.

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