Subcommandante XDelta
2024-11-12 22:59:53 UTC
Just some blue sky kite flying, perhaps not grounded on the current
revision levels of VSI reality - to be honest, I don't diligently keep
up with the technicalities.
But wouldn't be lovely if we had laptops that were running bare metal
VMS? - the likes of which we haven't seen since the Alpha Tadpole
(IIRC).
I know "bare metal VMS" sounds like some unsafe sexual practice - and
I don't know the ins and outs (so to speak) of why it isn't common
practice, apart from the issues of device drivers writing, given the
plethora of devices and modules, that might have to be catered for.
Which is why the Frame.Work laptop initiative is a bright blessing:
https://frame.work/
I think Big Ken would have had grudging respect, or, indeed,
unreserved respect for what they have achieved.
If I wasn't such a "TrackPointer Tragic" ThinkPad veteran, this would
be my laptop platform of choice - CRU (FRU) heaven, and the
anthithesis of "enshittifcation".
As it is my current generations of ThinkPads will see me out, keeping
a weather eye on my running down system clock.
Quite possibly only a small set of device drivers would need to be
considered, if bare metal VMS was offered on their hardware platforms,
and given the elegance of their construction, field service
engineering would not have to be considered - people can roll their
own - nothing is soldered down that strictly doesn't have to be - CRU
heaven.
I think it would be the perfect marriage of VMS with third-party
hardware, and it would be a boon to the VMS ecosystem, to have such
available - it might even encourage new VMS shops being established -
new clients for VSI.
Given the modular I/O port design, they would be a boon to VSI
engineering for research, VSI Quality Assurnce for testing, VSI sales
for demonstrations, and existing, and possibly new, customers for
evaluating.
You could have two Ethernet port modules one for networking the other
for clustering computer interconnect, and two USB ports for Disk
shadow sets - the laptops would be cheap, perfect, Lego blocks for
exploring the VMS clustering and Shadow Set chops of VMS.
Further VSI could liaise with Frame.Work, and commission them to
design a Server Blade board, for running bare metal VMS, an Intel one,
and an AMD one, utilising "Gruntmaster 6000" (cf Dilbert, circa 2000)
CPUs and "GruntMaster 6000" GPUs (which seen all the rage these days,
with the AI hype).
The server board would have a RS232 port (well, just because!), but it
would also have (say) four narrow expansion slots to cater for DEC
specific I/O considerations - another boon for the VMS ecosystem.
And one of the genius aspects of the Frame.Work way, is that like the
Ship of Theseus, individual components, can be easily upgraded.
VSI management might have kittens and conniptions about how to price
VSI/VMS licenses for the laptops - but what is not made in margins,
may well be made in volume - I am sure if such laptops were available
to the VMS ecosystem, that they would fly off the shelves.
The 13" laptops for the Office, and portability, and the 16" laptops
for scientific and engineering workstations.
Anyways, that's my back of a beer coaster (lagered products) thesis &
proposal.
I'll leave it up to those who know what they are talking about to
weigh knowledgeably in.
And what might the VMSGenerations group think of it all?
revision levels of VSI reality - to be honest, I don't diligently keep
up with the technicalities.
But wouldn't be lovely if we had laptops that were running bare metal
VMS? - the likes of which we haven't seen since the Alpha Tadpole
(IIRC).
I know "bare metal VMS" sounds like some unsafe sexual practice - and
I don't know the ins and outs (so to speak) of why it isn't common
practice, apart from the issues of device drivers writing, given the
plethora of devices and modules, that might have to be catered for.
Which is why the Frame.Work laptop initiative is a bright blessing:
https://frame.work/
I think Big Ken would have had grudging respect, or, indeed,
unreserved respect for what they have achieved.
If I wasn't such a "TrackPointer Tragic" ThinkPad veteran, this would
be my laptop platform of choice - CRU (FRU) heaven, and the
anthithesis of "enshittifcation".
As it is my current generations of ThinkPads will see me out, keeping
a weather eye on my running down system clock.
Quite possibly only a small set of device drivers would need to be
considered, if bare metal VMS was offered on their hardware platforms,
and given the elegance of their construction, field service
engineering would not have to be considered - people can roll their
own - nothing is soldered down that strictly doesn't have to be - CRU
heaven.
I think it would be the perfect marriage of VMS with third-party
hardware, and it would be a boon to the VMS ecosystem, to have such
available - it might even encourage new VMS shops being established -
new clients for VSI.
Given the modular I/O port design, they would be a boon to VSI
engineering for research, VSI Quality Assurnce for testing, VSI sales
for demonstrations, and existing, and possibly new, customers for
evaluating.
You could have two Ethernet port modules one for networking the other
for clustering computer interconnect, and two USB ports for Disk
shadow sets - the laptops would be cheap, perfect, Lego blocks for
exploring the VMS clustering and Shadow Set chops of VMS.
Further VSI could liaise with Frame.Work, and commission them to
design a Server Blade board, for running bare metal VMS, an Intel one,
and an AMD one, utilising "Gruntmaster 6000" (cf Dilbert, circa 2000)
CPUs and "GruntMaster 6000" GPUs (which seen all the rage these days,
with the AI hype).
The server board would have a RS232 port (well, just because!), but it
would also have (say) four narrow expansion slots to cater for DEC
specific I/O considerations - another boon for the VMS ecosystem.
And one of the genius aspects of the Frame.Work way, is that like the
Ship of Theseus, individual components, can be easily upgraded.
VSI management might have kittens and conniptions about how to price
VSI/VMS licenses for the laptops - but what is not made in margins,
may well be made in volume - I am sure if such laptops were available
to the VMS ecosystem, that they would fly off the shelves.
The 13" laptops for the Office, and portability, and the 16" laptops
for scientific and engineering workstations.
Anyways, that's my back of a beer coaster (lagered products) thesis &
proposal.
I'll leave it up to those who know what they are talking about to
weigh knowledgeably in.
And what might the VMSGenerations group think of it all?