[Info-vax] Alternative _legal_ operating systems for VAX ?

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/4/22 7:29 PM, chris wrote:
> On 01/04/22 23:33, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> On 1/4/22 5:28 PM, chris wrote:
>>> On 01/02/22 08:39, Simon Clubley wrote:
>>>> Before deleting my simh instances, I thought I would look for
>>>> other operating systems which ran on VAX and try them out.
>>>>
>>>> The only current one I have found is NetBSD (which certainly has
>>>> a _very_ retro 1980s Unix feel to it. :-)).
>>>>
>>>> OpenBSD dropped VAX as an architecture a number of years ago.
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone know of any other operating systems (including any
>>>> experimental ones) for VAX that are still legal to run under simh ?
>>>>
>>>> If so, do you have any links to them ?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Simon.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Some old unix distributions, Ultrix32,
>>
>> Ultrix32 is not legal for use without a license which you can not get.
> 
> Well, it's available for free download at the unix historical society,
> for years, so perhaps they organised some agreement to cover that ?.

Lots of commercial software is available for free on the Internet.
But having the software alone (I still have copies from when I could
actually run it legally) doesn't make it work.  Things like users
require a license.  :-)

> Never run it here, but have run Ultrix 11, for evaluation. Does work
> (on an 11/53), but not very stable.

Nothing comp[arable about them other than the name.  Ultrix-11 is
V7 Unix and Ultrix-32  much later and never released for um-licened
use by AT&T.

> 
>>
>>> for example. 4.3 BSD works
>>> on Vaxen up to MicroVAX II and possibly later. Having installed
>>> 4.3 bsd on both a Vax 730 and 725 many years ago, can confirm
>>> that it is stable, works with most interfaces including mscp and
>>> tmscp disk and tape controllers and good for serious work.
>>
>> Why run 4.3 BSD when NetBSD is the continued development from there.
>>
>>> Iirc,
>>> I installed from 9 track magtape, but can be done via TK50 if you
>>> can find a way to write the tape. I used an Emulex QD33 and UD33
>>> smd disk controllers and disks for the work here.
>>>
>>> All that stuff is available online for free now and probably far
>>> more robust than NetBSD Vax, for example...
>>
>> I really don't see how 4.3 can be more robust than the versions
>> developed from it. :-)
>>
> 
> Perhaps it has improved, but last version run here was 1.01 or
> similar and at that stage neither of the qbus network
> interfaces were stable for long before falling over. Sort of
> worked, but not well. Firmware bug on the network cards, from
> memory. Perhaps I should give it another try...

Or compare the sources and see who broke what.  :-)

bill