[Info-vax] RMS intro

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 12/31/2023 4:29 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
> On Sun, 31 Dec 2023 07:43 +0000 (GMT Standard Time), John Dallman wrote:
>> You might want to explain why StreamCR is provided: I doubt
>> it is because of traditional Mac format, because VMS predates Mac by
>> several years.
> 
> Support for STREAM_xx formats in RMS were not added until VMS 4.0, near as
> I can tell. And that dates from around the time of the release of the Mac.

That surprises me. I always thought they had been there since day 1.

But I started with VMS 4.4, so I don't know early VMS first hand.

And the RMS manual for VMS 2.0:

https://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/vax/vms/2.0/AA-D031C-TE_VAX-11_2.0_Record_Management_Services_Reference_Manual_198003.pdf

does not list the stream formats, so it indeed look like a
later addition.

But that is sort of the benefit from RMS. It is possible to
add an entirely new record format and everything calling
SYS$GET directly or indirectly via language IO will not
need any change.

Arne