Conference hydra::axp-developer

Greetings!

  You might want to advise the customer that support for VAX/VMS V5.4 probably
isn't even available and that it used a totally different compiler from "DEC C"
that is no longer in use.  OpenVMS Alpha has from day 1 used the "DEC C" (a GEM-
bases compiler) and *never* used an Alpha analog to the old "VAX C" compiler 
that a VAX/VMS V5.4 system used.  The old "VAX C" compiler (available only
on VAX/VMS pre-V5.4 and OpenVMS VAX V5.5 - V6.1 systems) has been retired since
a VAX analog of the "DEC C" compiler on Alpha was made available.

  There is no "VAX C" compiler available any longer and the SPD for the "DEC C"
compiler (now available for both OpenVMS Alpha and OpenVMS VAX) only supports
OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2 (and above systems).  At the very least, this customer is 
going to have to upgrade to OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2 if he wants to use a suported
(and available) compiler.

  FWIW, the old "VAX C" compiler was not simply overhauled, it was junked, and 
the "DEC C" compiler (initially available on OpenVMS Alpha) was "ported" to
OpenVMS VAX about the time OpenVMS VAX V6.1 came out.  You could actually have
both the old "VAX C" compiler and the new "DEC C" compiler co-exist on an
OpenVMS VAX system for some period of time after the "DEC C" compiler for
OpenVMS VAX was released.  Even before the release of the "DEC C" compiler
on OpenVMS VAX, development of the old "VAX C" compiler pretty much ceased
since it was going to be retired once folks had moved over to the "DEC C" 
compiler.

  To make life a little easier for folks with a lot of "VAX C" code to migrate
to "DEC C", compiler qualifiers were made available so that code which compiled
cleanly under "VAX C" (a non-ANSI-compliant compiler) but errored out under
"DEC C" (a rigid (by default) ANSI-compliant compiler) would compile cleanly
without a lot of diagnostics that because of coding practices the old VAX C" 
compiler was quite happy to digest, cheers...

						Tony Swierkowski
						Digital Equipment Corporation
						Software Partner Engineering
						Palo Alto, California
						(415) 617-3601
						"[email protected]"

        From: [email protected]
    Date:  Fri,  7 Feb 1997   10:58:54  +0100
    To: [email protected]
    Subject: fopen problem on ALPHA
    X-Mailer: TFS Gateway V210S0162M
    
    
    Start two sessions. In  session A run the enclosed program, but DON'T
    press 
    ENTER to end the test until later. In session B try to TYPE T.T. You'll
    get 
    a message that the file is locked by another process. Now switch back
    to 
    session A and press ENTER to end the program. Now switching back to
    session 
    B you CAN type the file T.T.  On VAX/VMS 5.4 running this same program,
    you 
    can TYPE the file even when the enclosed program is running. Why am I
    seeing 
    this difference in behavior? Thanks.
    
    A>type f.c
    #include <stdio.h>
    #include <stdlib.h>
    main()
    {
            FILE *input_file;
            char input_name[15];
            int c;
    
            puts ("Check file open mode");
            input_file = fopen("t.t","a+b");
            if (input_file == NULL)
               {
                    puts("Open failure on file T.T");
                    exit(0);
               }
            puts("Press ENTER to end test");
            c=getchar();
    }
    
    example run
    
    A>cc f
    A>link f
    A>run f
    Check file open mode
    Press ENTER to end test
    
    switching to other session
    
    B>
    B>type t.t
    %TYPE-W-OPENIN, error opening SYS$SYSDEVICE:[USER.MIKEN]T.T;1 as input
     %TYPE-W-OPENIN, error opening SYS$SYSDEVICE:[USER.MIKEN]T.T;1 as input
     -RMS-E-FLK, file currently locked by another user
    B>!now pressing enter in session A
    B>type t.t
    B>
    
    The same results are experienced if the file T.T already exists. For 
    instance if I copy LOGIN.COM to T.T I will  see my login.com when I
    attempt 
    to type T.T on the VAX, I just get an error message on ALPHA.
    
    
    

    From:   FLUID::"[email protected]" "07-Feb-1997 1739"
    To:     [email protected]
    CC:     hdlite::axpdeveloper
    Subj:   RE: fopen problem on ALPHA
    
    
    Hi,
    
            Regarding the different behavior of fopen bewteen OPENVMS/Alpha
    and
    VAX, please be advised that the C compilers you are using on the two
    platforms
    are different compilers, i.e. DEC C on Alpha and VAX C on your old
    VAX/VMS V5.4
    system. OpenVMS Alpha has from day 1 used the "DEC C" (a GEM-bases
    compiler)
    and *never* used an Alpha analog to the old "VAX C" compiler that a
    VAX/VMS V5.4 system used.  The old "VAX C" compiler (available only
    on VAX/VMS pre-V5.4 and OpenVMS VAX V5.5 - V6.1 systems) has been
    retired since
    a VAX analog of the "DEC C" compiler on Alpha was made available.
    Please
    upgrade your VAX/VMS V5.4 system to at least OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2 (and
    above) as
    soon as possible as there is no "VAX C" compiler available any longer
    and the
    SPD for the "DEC C" compiler (now available for both OpenVMS Alpha and
    OpenVMS
    
    Alpha Support Center
    
    

    replace the fopen with this:
    
            input_file = fopen("t.t","a+b", "shr=upd");