[Info-vax] OpenVMS development tooling (was: Re: VSI strategy for OpenVMS)

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 9/29/2021 1:27 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> I'm not going to claim that I understand everything being discussed 
> because I'm not familiar with some of the tools, concepts, and such.
> 
> It is my opinion that as soon as one counts on some tooling, concepts, 
> capabilities that one doesn't totally control and understand that total 
> control of an application isn't possible.  I've never done so.  I've 
> always thought that an application design must include understanding and 
> being in control of the environment in which the application exists.

One need to draw the line somewhere.

You do not want to write your own compiler, your own database
and your own OS.

Today you most likely do not even want to write your own general
libraries.

Not because you like to rely on somebody else. But because the
size of the total code base for most applications grow by 10-25% per
year. DIY is not sustainable long term with that kind of code
growth.

Instead you focus on the specific domain logic as that is what
makes you competitive.

> Long ago I designed applications in a manner that would let me run 
> hundreds of copies of an application, totally separate from each other, 
> on a single computer system.  Of course, the system would never support 
> such numbers, but, the environments would be controlled in a manner to 
> guarantee there would not be any collisions between each copy of the 
> application.  Not talking small stuff, I'm talking about robust ERP 
> systems.
> 
> In practice, multiple copies of the ERP system, with a few exceptions, 
> doesn't happen.  The computer systems themselves just don't have the 
> resources to do so.  But, the design still would support such activity.
> 
> Does it take some individual work on each copy?  Sure, when they are 
> sharing resources such as disks.  The way I understand containers, they 
> also need similar setup.  TANSTAAFL

This is exactly what containers do.

Arne