> I don't know much about this OpenVMS thing, but from seeing all the patches
> needed in various aspects of xmame, it sure doesn't seem very
> standards-compliant. Is it even a Unix-like?
Heh. VMS is the original operating system for VAX machines from the late
1970's. Back in those days machines came with one manufacturer written OS
and everything was proprietary. VMS was an extension of the old PDP-11
operating system (RSX11?) to support virtual memory, as the VAX was a
virtual address extension onto the pdp architecture.
UNIX was first written on the PDP machines, and hence the VAX, as
an alterantive to VMS. Standard UNIX for the VAX had no virtual memory,
and it was adding this which was one of the main drives behind BSD UNIX.
VAX's lasted a very long time, and were subsequuently replaced by the Alpha
as a processor. hence VMS was ported to the Alpha. At this point they
decided to call it OpenVMS and ad a POSIX layer than nobody ever uses. As
Alpha has been ditched for Itaniumthen there will be an Itanium port of VMS
as well in the near future.
If all you have ever seen in UNIX and derivatives then you will be fascinated
anbd somewhat bwildered by VMS asits unlike anything else you will
have come across. A proper big-iron operating system from the age of the
mainframe with liberal scatterings of square brackets and block capitals,
and some very complex system concepts to get your head round. It was probably
the best if its era though, or it wouldnt have survived so long. It also
has a very high level of stability - better than most other operating systems,
though UNIX is pretty much a match for it these days.
Most people who went through university in the mid-to-late 80's will have
come across VMS. Its still in widespread use on large DEC (or HP or Compaq
or whetver they are called tis week) boxes. We run some very large servers
here for call centres and they function much better off alarge set
of dumb terminals andsome big Alpha/VMS servers. Many other organisations
do the same.
When I came here they gave me a choice of programming under either
Microsoft Windows or VAX/VMS. Which isnt really a choice if you have
any taste in operating environments :-)
-bat. [of course these days we are a mixed VMS and FreeBSD shop - I do have
some influence !]
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