Record-access libraries (Was: Re: VMS vs. UNIX file soapbox)

[DAVID NEWALL]

In article <864 at yunexus.UUCP>, oz at yunexus.UUCP (Ozan Yigit) writes:
> RMS Record access you say ?? this concept is especially revolting for our
> purist(!) byte-stream-with-a-nl (usually 512 bytes or shorter for idiotic
> programs :-) perspective.  Alas, we merrily keep faking that our byte
> stream is in fact a collection of average size lines (records for less
> religious :-) and rush to our soapboxes at the suggestion that something
> as ugly as RMS can actually be useful. (*because* of its support of "more
> general database access tecniques".)

I know little about VMS; not nothing, because the Institute (where I work)
uses VMS as it's priniciple operating system.  On the other hand, before
I joined the Institute, `it' knew little about Unix; Unix is a new thing
here.

Something that has surprised me a few times, is how often RMS seems to get
in the way of what you are doing.

For example, there was a tar tape written on some Unix machine, from which
some files were to be extracted.  Easy to do if you have pd-tar running on
VMS, but we didn't.  (This actually happened before I started working for
the Institute, and so my understanding of the problem is vaugue at best).
The thought was that the tar file could be extracted from the tape and
kermitted to the Unix box.  (We had just got the Unix machines, you must
understand, and hadn't yet got sophisticated things like tape drives or
ethernet cards).  I don't quite understand why that didn't work, but I
recall people mumbling about "RMS" and "File Type" or "Record Format".

Or then there was the time I suggested backing up our Unix machines across
ethernet, onto the VAX tape drive.  The answer then was similarly something
about "FILES-11", "too difficult".

Please excuse my quite obvious ignorance of VMS; I use it very little.
This is not intended as a criticism of VMS.  I am just surprised at the
apparent stumbling blocks one can encounter using RMS.  The power provided
seems to have cost in terms of flexibility.

David Newall                     Phone:  +61 8 343 3160
Unix Systems Programmer          Fax:    +61 8 349 6939
Academic Computing Service       E-mail: ccdn at levels.sait.oz.au
SA Institute of Technology       Post:   The Levels, South Australia, 5095