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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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