🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov18.164347.1@ptavv.llnl.gov>, 
oberman@ptavv.llnl.gov writes:
>Is it about time for a VMSNET group for Alpha AXPs? The little devils are sure
>cute, but they have some interesting characteristics that lend themselves to
>broad discussion. It should help software porting problems with some advanced
>discussion.

I would like to see this group formed. Given that it may want to grow
in the future, I feel that the group should be near the top of the
vmsnet hierarchy, e.g. something like:

	vmsnet.alpha	(perhaps initially)

with more groups added later. As a few examples:

	vmsnet.alpha.porting
	vmsnet.alpha.porting.macro32
	vmsnet.alpha.programming

and perhaps some hardware related groups.

>I propose a VMSNET Alpha group which would parallel the existing PDP-11 group.
>I don't read the PDP-11 group, so I don't happen to know just where it is in
>the heirarchy.

vmsnet.pdp-11


Thanks,

Alistair Grant

Internet:     alistair@mits.com.au
Alternate:    alistair%mits.com.au@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au

In article <1992Nov18.164347.1@ptavv.llnl.gov>, oberman@ptavv.llnl.gov writes:
> Is it about time for a VMSNET group for Alpha AXPs? The little devils are sure
> cute, but they have some interesting characteristics that lend themselves to
> broad discussion. It should help software porting problems with some advanced
> discussion.

I agree.  I think this would be a useful group.  I just wonder how much overlap
with vmsnet.internals there would be.
> 
> I propose a VMSNET Alpha group which would parallel the existing PDP-11 group.
> I don't read the PDP-11 group, so I don't happen to know just where it is in
> the heirarchy.
> 
Makes sense to me.

vmsnet.alphaAXP.whatever

would be my vote (what the hey, AXP is part of the name, after all).  I think
the Alpha AXP issues are distinct enough to justify starting with the third
level even if we only have a .misc to start. 

vmsnet.alphaAXP.misc
vmsnet.alphaAXP.sysmgt
vmsnet.alphaAXP.OSF1
vmsnet.alphaAXP.OpenVMS (this ought to get a reaction from Jamie!)
vmsnet.alphaAXP.windowsNT
etc.
-- 
   Don Roberts                   Internet:  dsroberts@beckman.com
   Beckman Instruments, Inc.     Phone:     714/961-3029
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> vmsnet.alphaAXP.whatever

     Newsgroup names are not case sensitive, so please don't present ones
which rely on that to convey something.  Anyway I thought that "AXP"
superceded the development name "Alpha", so "alphaaxp" is not only ugly
but redundant.  Use a hyphen if you want to tack two things together.

     The login banner on an Alpha running VMS says "OpenVMS AXP (tm)"
(where VAX/VMS still says "VAX/VMS", without the extra marketeers' nonsense)
and there's no mention of "Alpha" to be seen.  Personally I prefer "Alpha/VMS" 
and "VAX/VMS" and hope to relegate "OpenVMS" to the circular file where
it belongs.

     An Alpha porting group would be useful, but VMS is still VMS and
there's no need for separate groups for regular software.  I can't imagine
why someone would propose an OSF/1 or WindowsNT group in the vmsnet
hierarchy though.  Haven't we been through this several times before?

		Pat Rankin, rankin@eql.caltech.edu

In article <1992Nov20.075031.1048@beckman.com>, dsroberts@beckman.com writes:
|> vmsnet.alphaAXP.whatever

Gak! Since it will really have to be entirely lower case I think that alpha
would be better then alphaaxp or alpha-axp.

I am not sure that we really need multiple groups under a new 2nd level
hierachy for this. All the OpenVMS stuff should go into the corresponding
VMS groups (after all, they are the same thing :-) I can see a medium term
need for a group to discuss porting issues, but stuff like system
management should stay in the existing groups and OSF/1 questions should be
in the Usenet comp.unix.osf.osf1 group. If WNT ever gets released then no
doubt a home will be found for it under the comp.os.ms-windows hierachy.

Neil.
-- 
 Phone: +44 71 815 5283  E-mail: nreadwin@micrognosis.co.uk
 Anything is a cause for sorrow that my mind or body has made

In article <20NOV199219380835@eql.caltech.edu>, rankin@eql.caltech.edu (Pat
Rankin) writes:
>     The login banner on an Alpha running VMS says "OpenVMS AXP (tm)"
>(where VAX/VMS still says "VAX/VMS", without the extra marketeers' nonsense)

I'll bet that changes. :-)

>and there's no mention of "Alpha" to be seen.  Personally I prefer "Alpha/VMS"
>>and "VAX/VMS" and hope to relegate "OpenVMS" to the circular file where
>it belongs.
>
>     An Alpha porting group would be useful, but VMS is still VMS and
>there's no need for separate groups for regular software.  I can't imagine
>why someone would propose an OSF/1 or WindowsNT group in the vmsnet
>hierarchy though.  Haven't we been through this several times before?

I agree we need something, but I'm not sure exactly how to position it. Due to
the transitional nature if things, perhaps we need just a single group to
discuss any and all topics specific to the Alpha. This could cover everything
from porting issues to chip architecture to the software rollout schedule. 

However, I disagree with the idea that the group(s) will grow. In fact, after an
initial spurt of activity, I suspect it/they will shrink. Note that there are no
groups about the VAX architecture, nor any about porting from RSX to VMS.
Several years after the fact, there will no longer be a need for any alpha
specific groups. If anything, we'll need to create VAX groups for the small
group of people that still want to talk about them. The Alpha will take over all
the groups related to VMS as it becomes the de facto platform for VMS.

I'm not sure more than one group will be justified by the traffic, and in a year
or 3, even this one will die out as the Alpha takes over. Such a catchall group
should probably be called vmsnet.alpha. I suppose v.alpha-axp would be a
possibility. I don't think enough people have heard of the AXP designation to
call it vmsnet.axp. (Hmm... sounds like Kevin's original proposal, doesn't it?)
:-)

Ideas? Opinions on the name(s)?
--
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