Installing OpenVMS Software

You are correct to assume that MMS on VMS works like make on unix. I'm not sure what's on the Montagar CD but it looks like MMS is not there. Commercial VMS sites once got something called the "consolidated software distribution" or condist for short, every few months. (I think it is called something else now.) This consisted of about 12 CDs and various compilers and items such as MMS would be included in that. I vaguely remember that MMS may have been bundled with some other programming utilities in something called DECSet but I could be wrong on that. If you can find a set of condist CDs suitable for use with your version of VMS, then that would be a good way to get hold of MMS and various other kits that the hobbyist license enables you to use. There is also a freeware MMS equivelant called MMK, written by Hunter Goatley. If you have the OpenVMS freeware CD set, MMK should be on that. Alternatively, it should be available on the web. Search either for MMK or for the entire OpenVMS freeware CD set contents which I think are available on some sites. Alternatively again, many VMS ports of unix utilities include a simple command procedure (often called BUILD.COM or MAKE.COM) to compile them for those who do not have MMS or MMK installed and don't want to install them for whatever reason. The command procedure would not be as versatile or capable as a make equivelant but this is often not a problem in a VMS environment where there tends to be less variability than in the unix world. Regards, Peter Coghlan.