[rescue] Vax source code

[Mouse]

[top-posting and no-trimming damage repaired manually]

>> A friend of mine is moving house and has found a copy of VAX VMS
>> source code on microfiche.

Oh, that brings back memories.  When I was working on VMS in the '80s
we had source on 'fiche.  I spent about two days studying the source to
DCL so I could craft a patch to add line editing to it.  Then I had to
break it into two patches, because PATCH couldn't handle the resulting
single patch.  (We sent in an SPR on that.  Never heard anything back.)

>> Any one have ideas of what could be done with it ;)
> Study it to see how the OS is put together.

...or do things like construct a patch to tweak it.

> Unfortunately, that's not enough of the OS to turn around and
> actually try to build it.  Certain parts were kept out of the
> microfiche distributions on purpose, to prevent doing exactly that.

It does occur to me, though, that it might be possible to rewrite the
missing pieces.  Has anyone looked at how extensive the omissions are
with an eye to doing that?

There is also the point that, at least if it's like the VMS source I
read, you'd need something like a half-dozen different languages'
compilers to build it.

I definitely do think the information on the 'fiche should be
preserved.  Even if we (FWVO "we") don't want to do anything else with
it now, we should make sure it gets digitized and saved against the day
when it's an important historical document and the original 'fiche is
lost or destroyed.

I have a flatbed scanner that can do 8.5"x14" at 300dpi (actually, the
max is 300 dpi one way and 600 dpi the other); if that's good enough to
be useful, I can scan the 'fiche if someone can get it to me.  (I don't
recall exactly how large print is on the 'fiche, but I do recall being
able to read it without magnification, albeit at a bit of a strain.)
I'm not afraid of a little tedium, and since I'd probably be doing
between four and eight sheets per scan, that's all it would be.  At
worst it'd mean multiple scanning sessions.

>> <--Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.  -->

...time horses like a jockey. :-)

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