4 ms·

So I guess it was Open in name only?

• projektfu 7y ago
  The "Open" was added to suggest harmony with POSIX, Motif/CDE and other standards. OpenVMS was a proprietary OS used on VAX and Alpha computers long before DEC was bought by Compaq (and then HP) and the name was not suggesting open source the way OpenSolaris does.
  • TallGuyShort 7y ago
    And this is usage is not unique to OpenVMS, btw - in mainframe circles, most more mainstream technologies are referred to as "open systems".
  • mark-r 7y ago
    I was aware of VMS and its proprietary history long before they added Open to it. I'm still not sure how Open ties to those other things.
    • icedchai 7y ago
      "Open standards"?
• bitminer 7y ago
  (Most of) the source was distributed with the operating system binaries, as microfiche. I spent a few days peering at an old 'fiche reader figuring out how VMS stored user-defined account text in the process control block. We were doing chargeback you see... The fun bit was the explanation of how a VAX booted VMS. The Cheshire cat was the mascot: the CPU was set up to have real and virtual addresses line up, then the VM bit was turned on, and...presto, no cat.
• BrainInAJar 7y ago
  "Open" in the late 80's / early 90's meant open specifications & open API's. "Open Software Foundation" made a closed-source UNIX OSF/1. The term "open source" didn't come about until much later