Comments on: People Still Use VMS!?

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:35:43 +0000

VMS is the best operating system around, I wish more people were familiar with it these days. I manage Unix and Windows servers, but they just can’t compare. VMS is secure, great to manage, and the reliability is fantastic. We are finally getting ready to pull the plug on an old Alpha server we brought up in 1996, with a /233 processor. For years it carried sizable databases, eight web sites, dozens of telnet users and a messaging system that kept in contact with over 10,000 users by email. Our VMS machine never gave us a problem. I work for a University and we support multiple campuses. If I had a choice, I would still be doing it on VMS.

By: Ross

Ross — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:21:55 +0000

$purge/keep=2

Now why can’t any of these ‘real’ os’s do this. Saved my bacon more than once. but then, them unix folks never make mistakes.

By: Robert Rabbin

Robert Rabbin — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 19:47:41 +0000

OpenVMS is now at version 8.3 and runs on intel Itanium2s as well as the just-ended Alpha series. Just recompile and you are on new equipment. It never died, just the hardware did… as if you are still running Windows 3.1 on a 386 and it does anything useful? It has evolved, just some people forgot becuase it is not usually on the desktop. Each computer has its place and the place for a real 24×7 machine is not gone or even replaced. When it comes to real-time activity or multiple users and security (it IS un-hackable when set up right), there is really nothing like OpenVMS and those who use it know that. Unfortunately, there is no advertising or even articles in the magazines about it (or used in the colleges as much any more) so only those over 40 know about it. HP doesn’t care because it is a cash cow, but the good thing is that they are keeping it up to date, for sure.

By: Jamie N

Jamie N — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:40:05 +0000

I used to work at a very large pharmaceutical company. They have been running a VMS system to monitor production since… well I don’t know when, but it’s running on an *OLD* DEC Alpha server in the corner of the data centre. It’s been there for years and AFAIK it hasn’t been rebooted for over 2 years, and even then it was only shut down because the room’s air conditioning failed!

When I asked the admin why he didn’t upgrade it or something, he just said “Why? It’s working isn’t it?”. Good point. And they do need it to work 24/7/365. You would simply never get that level of uptime on any other system, barring miracles.

By: Tony Rich

Tony Rich — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:14:53 +0000

I can believe it! DEC had some very powerful desktop 32 bit systems
in the 80’s. Howvever their marketing flopped.
FYI:
Unix has been around just as long as IBM’s mainframe OS MVS
(now termed z/OS in it’s latest iteration) Unix was originally designed
for AT&T’s ESS computers (Electronic Switching System) which replaced
the old electro-mechanical relays.

By: Chopin Cusachs

Chopin Cusachs — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:05:15 +0000

Used several models of VAX with VMS versions from 2 through 4
and loved the software and hardware. Only time I had a system
crash was when I was debugging new hardware that had a
glitch in how long a signal line was held down.

It was fun watching the hardware evolve from the 11/780 with
several big cabinets to a little desktop box that could almost
have passed for a PC on casual glance.

Choppy

By: Alfred Thompson

Alfred Thompson — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 05:15:21 +0000

OK I am surprised that you are surprised. If you want a system up 24/7/365 what else are you going to run?

But then I am surprised that people still use Linux/Unix which was never ever as good as VMS. But then 14 years at DEC would bias me a little. :-) Oh and I do have an account on a VMS system to this day.