On Mon, 18 Nov 2019 at 19:24, Grant Taylor via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 11/18/19 11:10 AM, Paul Koning wrote:
For example, I'm not sure anyone would call
VMS an open system, yet
clearly it's distributed (VAXcluster).
What is "open" in this context? Is it open source? Is it open
communications protocols? (As in OSI / POSIX.) Is it something else?
It was a FAQ once.
http://www.rcnp.osaka-u.ac.jp/Divisions/CN/computer/vms/faq/vms_faq_0009.txt
https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/48503/openvms
"VAX/VMS" was renamed "VAX VMS" and then was renamed OpenVMS when the
Alpha version came out and it wasn't a VAX-specific product any more.
_Ostensibly_ the reason was that this release had POSIX API
compliance, and a bunch of POSIX tools, optionally available free of
charge -- I think that before that, this cost extra.
Really, I cynically suspect it's because just the 3 letters wasn't
enough to trademark. After all VAX is probably better known as a brand
of vacuum cleaner, outside of old-timer IT circles.
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