How Unix made it to the top

Re:How Unix made it to the top by atsaloli on Sunday December 18, 2016 @09:48AM (#13205960)

Yep! It goes up to 32k by default, but you can limit it:

"The /VERSION_LIMIT qualifier for the CREATE/DIRECTORY, SET DIRECTORY, and SET FILE commands lets you control the number of versions of a file. If you exceed the version limit, the system automatically purges the lowest version file in excess of the limit. For example, if the version limit is 5 and you create the sixth version of a file (ACCOUNTS.DAT;6), the system deletes the first version of the file (ACCOUNTS.DAT;1). To view the version limit on a file, enter the DIRECTORY/FULL command. The version limit is listed in the File attributes: field."

OpenVMS Manual http://h41379.www4.hpe.com/doc/731final/6489/6489pro_006.htm...

I thoroughly enjoyed using DCL (Digital Command Line -- the VMS shell) and VMS (with the wall of documentation, like http://www.pkl.net/~matt/photos/machines/tn/pict0157.jpg.htm...). It always felt structured and orderly, unlike UNIX systems, which are more "organic". :) (I love UNIX too!)

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Re:How Unix made it to the top by DonaldFisk on Sunday December 18, 2016 @12:17PM (#13206560)

This wasn't unique to VMS. Symbolics Genera had this capability. ITS, VME-B, and I think TOPS-10, also had numbered file versions.

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Re:How Unix made it to the top by atsaloli on Sunday December 18, 2016 @01:48PM (#13206986)

Fair enough. My computing career started in the nineties on VMS at the Help Desk of Brandeis University, my work-study job.

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