VAX/VMS

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
Virtual Memory System
OpenVMS
VAX/VMS
VMS

   <operating system> (VMS) {DEC}'s proprietary {operating
   system} originally produced for its {VAX} {minicomputer}.

   VMS V1 was released in August 1978.  VMS was renamed "OpenVMS"
   around version 5.5.  The first version of VMS on {DEC Alpha}
   was known as OpenVMS for AXP V1.0, and the correct way to
   refer to the operating system now is OpenVMS for VAX or
   OpenVMS for Alpha.  The renaming also signified the fact that
   the {X/Open} consortium had certified OpenVMS as having a high
   support for {POSIX} standards.

   VMS is one of the most secure operating systems on the market
   (making it popular in financial institutions).  It currently
   (October 1997) has the best {clustering} capability (both
   number and distance) and is very scalable with {binaries}
   portable from small desktop {workstations} up to huge
   {mainframes}.

   Many {Unix} fans generously concede that VMS would probably be
   the {hacker}'s favourite commercial OS if Unix didn't exist;
   though true, this makes VMS fans furious.

   FAQ
   
(http://cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/bngusenet/comp/os/vms/top.html).

   Usenet newsgroup: news:comp.os.vms.

   [How does its performance compare with other OSes?]

   (1999-06-03)