[Info-vax] Very simple DCL question

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 1/1/2023 12:54 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> On 2023-01-01 17:25:08 +0000, Arne Vajhj said:
>> On 1/1/2023 12:02 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
>>> Somebody (and I'm pretty sure I know who it was) did fix the @ 
>>> documentation in the DCL Dictionary, not that most folks will know or 
>>> will remember that @ is documented there. 
>>> https://docs.vmssoftware.com/vsi-openvms-dcl-dictionary-a-m/
>>
>> Yes. And it points to DCL_CTLFLAGS bit 3.
> 
> P9 to P16 should have been enabled by default, and disabled with 
> DCL_CTLFLAGS when or if that was needed.
> 
> Make the defaults better over time. Not worse.
> 
> Compatibility inevitably extracts its costs in complexity and confusion 
> and effort.
> 
> Look around. This DCL feature has been available for over a dozen years. 
> And few here even knew of its existence. That's a problem.

On the other hand then breaking compatibility also requires
a justification.

Who needs more than 8 parameters?  Obviously someone
did since the feature was added, but it does not seem
like something many wants.

I think the most ugly part is making it a system
parameter.

I assume there are implementation reasons behind
it, but having made it a process supervisor mode
logical would have made it a bit more "accessible".

Arne