[Info-vax] Open Source on OpenVMS - A Progress Report

[ja]

On Oct 6, 9:54 pm, BillPedersen <peder... at ccsscorp.com> wrote:
> On Oct 6, 9:36 am, Steven Schweda <sms.antin... at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > BillPedersen wrote:
> > > In the last few weeks I have been discussing the needs and
> > > requirements to revitalize the Open Source on OpenVMS Community.
> > > [...]
>
> >    I have a simple question.  Which "Open Source" are you
> > talking about?  All things GNU, or actual open source
> > software, or what?  For example, the source code for programs
> > like MMK and VMSTAR would seem to me to be openly published,
> > but neither program has any obvious connection with GNU, or
> > GNV, or GN<anything>.
>
> >    Certainly, HP could do more to support portability of GNU
> > software to VMS.  Adding support for, say, shmget() and
> > friends, and UNIX sockets, and so on, to the C RTL would be
> > helpful for stuff like BOINC and GnuPG (if you want all the
> > features to work).
>
> >    But, in any case, it might be nice to know what we're
> > discussing here, before we get too far into the discussion.
>
> There has never been any discussion of including or excluding any
> "type" of Open Source.  Yes, some of the effort is oriented toward GNV
> and therefore GNU applications and utilities.  But then there is the
> entire additional spectrum of Open Source, some of which has
> originated on OpenVMS, much of it from Unix/Linux and even the
> personal computer environment.
>
> In my discussions with folks I have seen no reason to delineate the
> type and no one has brought that up, whether it be folks in the HP
> OpenVMS Team or others actively involved in porting all sorts of Open
> Source software to OpenVMS.
>
> Personally I would like to see participation by everyone who has an
> application or package or utility that they like or use on OpenVMS
> that originated from Open Source and make sure it is listed and
> available to others.  Information being the key here - make sure we
> know about all applications.
>
> We also need to make sure we document best practices in porting of
> applications to facilitate quick ports.
>
> Thanks for your comments and input.
>
> Bill.

Thank you, Bill, for trying to herd all these OpenVMS cats!

One thing I have read frequently in this discussion and elsewhere is
that "...HP should this..." and "...HP should that..." in the open
source software world. It is just as well that few people in the, say,
Linux, world do not sit around and wait for "someone" to do something.

Rather than waiting for HP to do everything, why not follow Bill's
excellent initiative and get things going, not matter what or even
where they are. If there is an open source project already set up with
whatever SCCS, then use that. It really does not matter if it is CVS,
SVN, GIT or even a Blog.