[Info-vax] Looking into C-include files on VMS

[Richard B. Gilbert]

Joerg Schilling wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am currently trying to make compiling cdrtools a bit more automated.
> 
> I received a login for 
> 
> OpenVMS XXX 0 V7.2 VAX_7000-720 VAX
> 
> First a question: is this the same as a HP 9000/720?
> 
> The machine I have access to has a GNV installation from March 2005 which is 
> obviously not the latest version.
> 
> There are several problems:
> 
> -	The filesystem only supports one dot "." in filenames which would
> 	require modifications in "configure"

The ODS-2 (On Disk Structure-level 2) file system does not support more 
than one dot.  There is an ODS-5 file system available in recent 
versions of vms that will allow all sorts of strange characters and 
multiple dots.  If you can, you will be far better off if you stick to 
ODS-2 file names.

> 
> -	cc always exits with exit code 0 even in case of errors. This
> 	causes many configure tests to fail
> 
> -	cc -E t.c | grep something hangs infinitely
> 	This causes most of the other configure tests to fail
> 
> -	OpenVMS 7.0 should support a POSIX compliant struct stat.st_ino
> 	but I cannot make this work.
> 
> 	**********************
> -	I cannot see the ful content of the system include files.
> 	Could someone help me with hints on how to do this?
> 	**********************
> 
> 
> I am currntly trying to compile "smake" and use a static hand made 
> configuration that was created by Mr. Heuser but I need to find a way to
> run commands via bash. What is the best way to do this? THere seems to be no
> fork() but vfork(). Will vfork()/exec() work?
> 

VMS did not have a fork command.  It's a "Unixism".  SPAWN will create a 
subprocess.  See HELP SPAWN.  It's a whole different programming 
paradigm.  We have managed to get along without fork() for about thirty 
years.

I'm not familiar with vfork().