Aucbvax.5843
fa.info-vax
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!info-vax
Mon Jan 18 17:26:13 1982
Th Fight of the Century
>From RUBENSTEIN@HARV-10 Mon Jan 18 17:22:55 1982
Samuelson ought to sell tickets -- someone could make a mint on this.
I use VMS and have been as my primary activity for the last year. I have
also run vmunix on my 750, although I am not nearly so experienced with
that system.
Anyone who says that VMS is obviously unusable in a program-development
mode is full of it in the worst way. I have found that as a total system
(hardware, software quality, reliability, documentation, transportability,
facility of use, hardware adaptability and many other factors), VAX/VMS
is a superior system to evry one with which I am familiar (let me stress
that unix is not yet among these). This includes systems ranging from
IBM DOS and WYLBUR oriented systems to HP-3000 to TOPS-10, Tenex and Tops-20.
The thought and coordination that have gone into the planning of VMS are
impressive, the more so when you begin to learn about its internal
structure. It is not the hairy mess that unix die-hards scream about;
rather, it is a clean, well-thought-out, reliable system.
Furthermore, while I do NOT claim that it is an ideal programming
language, FORTRAN-77 on VMS can be used to produce efficient,
maintainable, transportable programs, if used with care by someone who
has been trained to do so. I would even go so far as to add that it can be
done efficiently with respect to the time of the programmer. Every experienced
programmer knows that the actual coding phase is small; the trade off
is invariably between the design and debugging times. I submit that
the design phase is relatively independant of the eventual language
of implemantation, and that since this is the most profitable place to
put your effort, the choice of language is quite secondary.
My initial, limited experience with unix has led me to believe that
it has many worthwhile features. My initial impression is that it
is not as efficient as VMS for heavily loaded systems. However, I am
not qualified to make comparisons yet. I would appreciate it if
you wouldn't do so either, unless you have extensive experience with
BOTH systems. I would welcome, even applaud, the person who can give
me an honest comparative critique of the two systems with a reasonable
overview perspective. We do not need to refer to one another as
"braindamaged" or "narrowminded" -- if these systems have the advantages
that are claimed for them, a simple presentation of the facts should
be more than adequate.
Stew
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