[fa.info-vax] How Small is VMS

info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (01/24/85)

From: aurora!eugene@RIACS.ARPA (Eugene miya)


Wow, if you can compress it..... Can you get it to fit on a PDP-11?
I have a machine running RSX, and VMS would be preferable.  RSX
has to be one of the worst [I take that back, forgot about TSO for a
moment.].  Anyway, VMS on a PDP-11 anybody? :-)

--eugene miya
  NASA Ames Research Center
  {hplabs,hao,dual,ihnp4,vortex}!ames!aurora!eugene
  emiya@ames-vmsb.ARPA or eugene@riacs.ARPA

info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (01/24/85)

From: ihnp4!houxm!hou2d!afb3@BERKELEY

Wow be it to me to defend RSX-11M/M-Plus.  But..... 

I ran an RSX-11M system for 8 years and was the the DECUS LUG librarain 
for our LUG in Vermont (VIALUG) for 3 (or was it 4) years.  In fact, 
many of the mundain things from VMS are already available (VMS V3.x) 
in RSX-11M V4.0.  You can use a compatiable DCL if your sick 
enough to.  The logical naming isn't as good, but with 
the addition of some DECUS software you get an even more powerful
and utilitarian facility (then RSX DCL or MCR).  The particular
thing I'm talking about is the DECUS "CCL" package from Jim
Downward and a cast of hundreds.  It allows each user to taylor
his environment as he pleases.  CCL does this by using the MCR
"Catch-All" task "...CA." to pass any command lines MCR can't
deal with.  CCL then attempts to match the command (with abreviation)
to first it's internal table, then the users file (USERCCL.CCL), and
then, if all else fails, a system wide file ([1,1]SYSCCL.CCL).  The
command could be an installed TASK, an uninstalled TASK or a command
file.  Uninstalled TASKs are installed on the fly (using the install/
run/remove option, which must be Sysgened in), saving POOL space.  In
fact this was one of the original driving forces behind CCL.

Altually, once you get into using CCL, you get to wish that VMS (and
UNIX!!) had some of its facilities (although you can fake them quite
nicely with VMS logical naming and command proceedures).

Sorry, but nothing can be done (as far as I know) about the Brain-
Damaged UIC names (ie. numbers not names) or the TASKBUILDERS sick-o
speed (appart from getting and ML11 or two).

If you don't have access to the RSX SIG tapes (through your local LUG)
you should get it.  You might be quite pleased with the junk there
(although wading through it is a pain).

Good Luck!!!

Al Baldwin
AT&T-Bell Labs
...!ihnp4!hou2d!afb3

[These opinions are my own....Who else would want them!!!]