A new FreeVMS release is available and a new bliss compiler is available in this release.
FreeVMS 0.1.3 Available
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Eugenia Loli
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Does anyone know where to get more indepth info on FreeVMS. And why should i try this OS, what is it’s strenghts?
http://bitsofnews.com
Does anyone know where to get more indepth info on FreeVMS. And why should i try this OS, what is it’s strenghts?
All the relevant information is on the website. May I suggest that you surf to the friendly website and find out that information.
http://www.systella.fr/~bertrand/FreeVMS/indexGB.html
I see that I’m not the only one who checked the FreeVMS mailing list half an hour ago. But anyway, I have a question for VMS’s, Bliss, what’s it good for and why do I want it. Wikipedia says it’s a systems programming language that became obscure after C was introduced. And FreeVMS is based on Linux (hence C) and I thought most other stuff was written in C to. Is there lots of DECUS stuff in Bliss floating around or what makes a Bliss compiler useful for FreeVMS?
Windows was a VMS clone so rather than using parts of Linux like they are doing it would seem more logical to me to rip parts of ReactOS.
I don’t think FreeVMS was based on linux, I can’t find any information on the page regarding that aspect.
> Windows was a VMS clone
Did you use VMS? It’s completely different. Windows NT was influenced by VMS, yes but it was not a clone.
can i compile something with bliss and actually have it run on a microvax? Example:can I build samba on it and load that version on my microvax under OpenVMS 5.5 and up?
Its in the mailing list, I’ve been reading it for years. FreeVMS is based on Linux 2.4.x (I don’t know the minor revision number).
@Steven, FreeVMS has very very few developers, (one I know about and maybe two other that contribute of and on but I’m not so sure about those contributers). There was some interest in ReactOS at one time (and in NetBSD to) but there just aren’t enough developers to change course.
from the FreeVMS site
>>>Spinlocks, the Linux ones are probably usable.
You would try to compile a C program (samba) with Bliss?
why we should be interested in FreeVMS.
I’m no more in favour of “one size fits all” than I am in favour of complete chaos. Even if that “one size” happens to be MFOS Linux.
There is a vast amount of software out there for VMS, as there is for Unix (how much of it’s got its source code published as well, I don’t know); that in itself should be an adequate reason for any VMS techie to want a clone he can run his favourite stuff on.
who knows…. I only know enough to be dangerous on vms. Thats about it..Thats why I was asking. I misread that blss was the compiler. samba has an old vms port, so I thought i would need a compiler for it.
If you have some links let me know.
If this is really based on linux then these guys are just trying to get people interested in something that is nothing like vms. Using VMS in the title is a misnomer. There seems to be only one person working on it.
VMS is not opensource so this cannot be anything like vms. VMS is known for security. I doubt this is anything like it.
“If this is really based on linux […] nothing like vms”
No way. You are flat out wrong. With just an alternate C library and alternate tools, you could be 80% there. Write a security module for the kernel (as the SE Linux project did) if you want VMS security. Then, just a few more patches, and you’re there. The rough spots would probably be related to non-flat files.
With this approach, you don’t have to write the whole damn networking stack and all the hardware drivers from scratch. You can even leave in the Linux syscalls during development.
Ok now, listen to what I have to say. You won’t know this since this information is not on the net anymore.
FreeVMS in its current form is the third incarnation of a project trying to create a FreeVMS clone. The first incarnation died in squabbles about how what was supposed to be done and when. The second incarnation didn’t get far because they tried to write everything from scratch and hadn’t the manpower to get anywhere. This project still doesn’t have the manpower to get anywhere fast but by using the Linux kernel they hade a base to start from.
The kernel in its form now is a modified Linux kernel that supports a good subset of VMS. The plan is to have a fully VMS compatible kernel that still supports Posix APIs so that Unix/Linux apps can be easily ported.
Now bear in mind that this is NOT a Linux distribution. They have their own user land that isn’t GNU or BSD. They only used Linux to get a head start. They have rewritten large parts of the kernel, and are continuing to rewrite it. Some time ago there was a discussion on the old mailing list (closed down do to spam) about porting the modifications to other kernels like Linux 2.6.X, NetBSD or ReactOS. The conclusion was that there are to many modifications to port and that FreeVMS would stick with the modified Linux 2.4.X kernel and later possibly try to port the 2.6.X driver system.
I wish a BLISS compiler was available for Linux and other platforms.
Bliss is sort of a mix of Pascal and C in Syntax, with a touch of BASIC thrown in. Awesome language to work with. Everything has a value and everything is down by address.
I miss it.
No, wait, isn’t that Euthanasia?
Sorry, just a little joke from American author Ambrose Bierce. (Incident at Owwl Creek, if I remember rightly.)
There is a Bliss compiler in the wild, I’ve managed to pick it up, but it’s a PDP11 or so, compiler. I haven’t yet got it to sit up and beg, but then I haven’t been fooling around lately with PDP-simulators.
Sorry about that.
This is heresy.
1. It can’t be FreeVMS, it must be FREEVMS
2. It should be written in FORTRAN not in C
DG
When you can get real OpenVMS hobbyist verison for $30 on CD-ROM. Then run it under SIMH on windows or linux. And you then have a real VMS machine. And you get free license’s to use with the hobbyist verison.
This is not even a clone, but rather a look-a-like VMS. They took a BSD unix kernel and changed some text, etc. to make it look like VMS.
OpenVMS is not FOSS, FreeVMS is FOSS, that’s a big reason. But FreeVMS is not based on BSD its based on Linux, and it doesn’t just change some text to look like VMS. Roar is working to rebuild the kernel to be VMS like. Give the guy some credit for the work he has done.