🚀 go-pugleaf

Digital actually has tinkered around with the idea of a microkernel-
based OpenVMS.  One such effort was conducted under the aegis of the
"Emerald" project, whose goal was to port VMS to the i386 architecture.
Emerald was a part of the PRISM project, a pre-AXP RISC initiative
which was cancelled--quite shortsightedly, IMHO--in Spring 1988 (1).

Subsequently, DEC sponsored an external research project whose goal
was to graft OpenVMS onto the Mach microkernel.  A proof-of-concept
implementation supposedly was done, but DEC, getting tight on money
and resources, shrewdly elected to divert the cash to less techno-
centric endeavours such as the wildly successful "Imagine" advertising
campaign.  OpenVMS, meanwhile, has become the Rodney Dangerfield of
DEC operating systems.

Whether or not DEC will render OpenVMS architecture-independent 
remains to be seen, but the prospects don't look good right now.
Accordingly, the long-term future of OpenVMS is questionable, at
least from the growth standpoint.

(1) PRISM also included the PRISM/Mica and PRISM/Ultrix operating
systems, the Pillar system implementation language and the GEM
compiler project.  GEM survived, the others did not.  And that's
why Mssr. Cutler left DEC in disgust.