Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!lll-winken!ames!amdahl!nsc!pyramid!leadsv!cberg
From: cberg@leadsv.UUCP (Charles R Berg)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: VMS vs. UNIX s/w development tools - query
Keywords: VMS UNIX tools
Message-ID: <6164@leadsv.UUCP>
Date: 29 Mar 89 17:23:56 GMT
References: <401@bionov.UUCP>
Reply-To: cberg@leadsv.LEADS.LMSC.COM.UUCP (Charles R Berg)
Distribution: na
Organization: LMSC-LEADS, Sunnyvale, Ca.
Lines: 44

In article <401@bionov.UUCP> rayl@bionov.UUCP (Ray Lillard) writes:
>At the same time we are also addressing the
>issue of a development system.  My personal favorite is 
>of course, UNIX.  VMS is the favorite of some permanent staff
>members.

I am also a consultant, and have participated in developing several million
lines of code on various projects, for various companies, all on VMS or RSX.
(I have also developed a lot of code under UNIX, but nowhere near as much.)

Whatever you do, don't encourage your client to work across multiple
environments!  A current client is developing 500,000 lines of code using SUNs,
Masscomps, VAX's running UNIX, and primarily on VAX's running VMS.  I just saw
an IBM PC slip in here, too.  They are using three different 'c' compilers, 
we're moving executables to our target environment in a.out and S-records, and
beleive me, version control has been a nightmare!!!

>What I have been shown of VMS doesn't begin
>to cover the UNIX tools set.  It seems that the concept of
>a regular expression is almost completely missing from VMS.
>
>The question:
>	Are tools available under VMS which are as powerful
>	as YACC, LEX, AWK, SCCS, grep, make, etc... to name
>	a few.

First of all, VMS does not have all the tools available under UNIX, but I've
never lacked for a NECESSARY tool on VMS.

Second, to respond to your admittedly short list:
I've never had the need for YACC, LEX or AWK.  DEC supplies CMS as an
alternative for SCCS, and third party vendors provide many other systems for
both VMS and UNIX.  DEC also provides MMS as an alternative for MAKE, and has
the SEARCH command instead of GREP (although yes, it does not support the UNIX
concept of regular expression).

Finally, if you really must have the UNIX tool environment, there are several
sources of UNIX tools (including DECUS) that sit on top of VMS.  I've used a
few of these toolboxes and they're quite satisfactory, IMO.  Your client sounds
like they've run a DEC shop for awhile.  I personally wouldn't try to change
them.  You can get the job done well in any environment you want, if you really
want to get the job done well.

Chuck