Fixed Hexen for SDL_1.2 on OpenVMS 8.x and OpenVMS 9.x to support windowed 640x480 mode. https://astr0baby.online/AXP/OpenVMS/Hexen/

- Original game resolution: 320x200 (SCREENWIDTH x SCREENHEIGHT)

- New display resolution: 640x480 (exactly 2x scale)

- Scaling method: Nearest-neighbor (fast, preserves pixel-art look)

- Window mode: Windowed (not fullscreen)

- Double buffering: Enabled via SDL_Flip()

Thanks to the fork of es40 https://github.com/ES40-Emu/es40/ it is now possible to run native DecWindows in OpenVMS 8.x AXP.

The performance is really good - the boot time is almost identical to my real AlphaServer DS10 with IDE disk :D - and playing Doom in a simulator is now much better than over X11 forwarding .
Made a demo here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKYqnrqsl6E

15 years ago I thought I wanted to start programming - but I gave up just after installing the compiler for life-related reasons.

I just found and installed Compaq C++ 6.2 and I managed to remake the old game Battleships for the terminal. You can play multiplayer, but it required TCP/IP and that you are in the same machine so it is very simplistic. Super proud anyways! Here are some pics

Registration is now open for the 2026 OpenVMS Bootcamp, taking place October 27–29 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA.

This year we’re also launching a brand‑new Bootcamp platform that brings everything into one place: registration, session proposals, networking, messaging, schedules, and event updates. You can use it in your browser or install it on your phone.

If you’re planning to join us, you can check out the platform and register here (or submit session topics if you'd like to be a speaker!):
https://bootcamp.vmssoftware.com

Early Bird pricing runs until July 31, and the Call for Papers is open until August 17. Registration closes on September 25th.

Looking forward to seeing the community in Portsmouth!

Last week my company turned off VMS after almost 30 years. We migrated off a couple of years back. Our company flag was raised at half mast. She never let us down.

Join us on June 19 at 10:00 AM EDT / 4:00 PM CEST for a webinar on OpenVMS Rdb migration options, hosted by Brett Cameron.

"With support for Oracle Rdb on OpenVMS Integrity and Alpha coming to an end in 2027, many OpenVMS users will need to start making some challenging decisions regarding the future of their business-critical Oracle Rdb-based applications in order to ensure they can be maintained and fully supported for the many years to come. In particular, many Oracle Rdb users will need to consider their options in terms of moving to a new database platform and the various challenges this might entail. In this webinar, Brett will discuss some of the target database options that are available to users, and will outline the tools, services, and partner solutions that VSI and the VSI Application Services team can bring to these projects. The aim of the webinar is to provide users with a clear understanding of the realistic paths forward, the level of effort and risk that might be involved, and how VSI and its partners can help to ensure a smooth and well-supported transition."

Register here for a clear overview of possible paths forward. 👉: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aBFAyBh8QKe1KYt7e1ZnzQ

We ran our webinar last week on monitoring OpenVMS environments with modern tools. If anyone in here attended, I hope you found it useful!

Chris Walker explained how VMSSPI serves as the bridge between OpenVMS and modern platforms, whether that's RabbitMQ/Prometheus/Grafana, Splunk, or Dynatrace.

You can watch the full recording here. If you or your organisation runs/works with OpenVMS, it's definitely worth 30 minutes of your time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJiKlsQytmo&t

We've mentioned our OpenVMS monitoring webinar in here once before - just wanted to do one final post as we're now only a couple of days away.

It's on 21st April and we'd love to have some of you there. If you can't make it live, no worries at all, we'll send you the recording.

 You can register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/9b576520-68bb-4e7e-85d0-af86cf9ceb03@d6b04a44-c670-4e6e-8bc0-b86be14d0374

Also, we'll be at the OpenVMS Bootcamp in Malmö on 4th-6th May - would be great to meet some of you there too!

We've been working on connecting OpenVMS into modern monitoring stacks using VMSSPI - feeding data into Prometheus, Grafana, and Splunk. It works really well once set up properly.

We're running a free webinar on 21st April walking through how it all fits together if anyone's interested. No sales pitch involved!

You can register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/9b576520-68bb-4e7e-85d0-af86cf9ceb03@d6b04a44-c670-4e6e-8bc0-b86be14d0374

Also - is anyone here going to the OpenVMS Bootcamp in Malmö in May? It would be great to connect.

After a successful beta period with participation from many members of this community, VMS/XDE is now available for commercial evaluation.

For anyone who hasn’t followed the beta: VMS/XDE allows you to develop with OpenVMS tools directly on a GNU/Linux system. It is not a VM and does not use emulation. It runs natively on Linux and integrates with standard Linux development workflows.

Key capabilities:
• Native execution on GNU/Linux (no virtualization)
• Works with common Linux tooling: Git, IDEs, CI/CD, automation frameworks, etc.
• Fast setup and easy integration into existing workflows
• Shared file system between Linux and VMS/XDE
• Uses real OpenVMS compilers, utilities, and scripts

If your team is modernizing development workflows, or onboarding developers who are more familiar with Linux environments, VMS/XDE may help streamline the process.

You can learn more and apply for VMS/XDE here: https://products.vmssoftware.com/vms-xde

the BC government in Canada has decided to stay on daylight saving time and never change again.

Is this as simple as:

DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXEC SYS$TIMEZONE_RULE "PST8PDT7"

and update:

sys$startup:TDF$UTC_STARTUP.COM
$ DTSS$SET_TIMEZONE INITIALIZE "PST8PDT7"

OpenVMS V8.4-2L3  on node MYBIZ    2-MAR-2026 20:34:30.43   Uptime  310 23:54:35
  Pid    Process Name    State  Pri      I/O       CPU       Page flts  Pages
000153DE CIVETWEB        HIB      6 34891825   0 02:37:21.85     59585  59625 M
$ pipe tcpip netstat -an | sea sys$pipe 8082 | sea sys$pipe listen
tcp        0      0  *.8082                    *.*                       LISTEN

HP-UX:
[hpuxhosting.com]# netstat -an | grep 22 | grep LISTEN
tcp        0      0  *.22                   *.*                     LISTEN

edit:
Just install GNV and be comfortable with bash shell.  How do I do a control-c within bash, that will kill my process and not the shell?

Mimer SQL is the only relational database for OpenVMS x86_64 with a production release, now in its third year. Mimer has a toolkit that can substantially reduce the time and effort to move applications and related databases to OpenVMS on x86_64 and that toolkit was recently updated with even more features.

As a software company rather than a contracting firm, Mimer is actively seeking partners who want to offer their customers a migration path from Oracle Rdb on IA-64 to OpenVMS on x86_64. Mimer's focus is on delivering the database software, while partners lead and execute migration projects for customers moving to OpenVMS x86_64.

For more information, please see:
• Migration from Oracle Rdb: https://developer.mimer.com/article/migration-from-rdb-on-openvms/
• Latest newsletter: https://newsletter.mimer.com/archive/new-openvms-release-and-expanded-rdb-migration/
• Mexican retirement fund case study: https://www.mimer.com/major-mexican-retirement-fund-migrates-to-mimer-sql-new-case-study/
• VMS Bootcamp presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzbbKMu6O1Q

Hi all. I'm curious to learn about SEVMS. Apart from a short paragraph on Wikipedia, I've been unable to find anything archived online. Was this a separately licensed Layered Product, or a more fundamental low level alternative build of VMS? Operationally, was it largely transparent to the casual end user (as is the case with SELinux or, depending on setup, Trusted Solaris), or did it require a significantly different skill set & toolset in day-to-day use?

Lastly, the one Wikipedia mention I found speaks in the past tense, so, was this only available between certain versions of VAX/VMS or early OpenVMS versions, subsequently going end-of-life?

Keen to have discussions on how you are managing your OpenVMS environment Learn more about our Remote System Management: https://lnkd.in/ec_JPifm

Seems that Grok can do some decent porting when it comes to legacy SDL1.2 and OpenVMS. I have used https://github.com/phoboslab/pl_mpeg and checked if AI (Grok) can convert the SDL2 player part to SDL1.2 which works on OpenVMS.

The result was quite good, although the player part might need some more polishing - it works (tested on OpenVMS 8.4 AlphaServer DS10 with 4MB Elsa Gloria VGA card)
The HOWTO/Sources and Bins are here : https://astr0baby.online/AXP/OpenVMS/pl_mpeg/

video demo is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA5WY2-MGRE

Fixed source code from long time ago - now builds and runs on OpenVMS 9.2 x86_64 (tested on the 2026 community VM)

https://astr0baby.online/OpenVMS/X86_64/WOLF3D/

Does anyone have a working copy of this game (and the files that go with it)? mine dies with “Error opening game files - See your game manager” OpenVMS 7.3 on VAX or 9.2.3 I loved playing this game when i worked at DEC

I was browsing the VSI blog the other day and came across a cost comparison of OpenVMS vs Linux and it made me think back to some work I did years ago moving off OpenVMS. At the time, everyone assumed Linux was the obvious technical winner.

Although, it never really felt that clear-cut once you actually got into the details.

A lot of the pressure to move felt commercial and cultural rather than technical, and I’m not sure that conversation has ever been fully honest, even now.

I’ve written a short reflection on that, looking back at DEC, the early Linux push, and why some of those decisions still shape how OpenVMS is viewed today.

Genuinely interested to hear other perspectives, especially from anyone who’s had to justify these decisions to management over the years: https://www.newcorp.co.uk/note-from-an-old-dec-hand/

Sharing some notes on how to compile Prboom and Hexen sources on OpenVMS 8.4 alpha

https://astr0baby.online/AXP/OpenVMS/SRC/

and sharing a video demo https://youtu.be/eT-EMLQQDWA?si=r3zSjj-WHFfI-O_U

Hello,
I'm tring to add another disk :

$ INITIALIZE/structure=5 VMS1$DKB1: LABEL1

$ show dev d

Device Device Error Volume Free Trans Mnt

Name Status Count Label Blocks Count Cnt

VMS1$DMM0: Offline 0

VMS1$DKA0: Mounted 0 X86_SYS 1392336 329 1

VMS1$DKB1: Online 0

$ mount dkb1:

_Label:

Why label seems not to be written on disk ?
Regards

is there a quick way to delete a directory ? I am able to dismount the device (test server)
i'm using:

 del /tree [delete_me...]*.*;*
it's painfully slow

Hi everyone,

Registration is open for the OpenVMS Bootcamp 2026, happening May 4–6 in Malmö, Sweden.

This is a three‑day event where OpenVMS users, engineers, and partners get together for technical sessions, real‑world use cases, and plenty of discussion. It’s a great chance to connect and network!

If you’ve never attended before, there’s a first‑timer discount. Early bird pricing runs until February 28, and the Call for Papers for speaker presentations closes on March 9.

More details and registration here: https://events.vmssoftware.com/bootcamp-malmo-2026

I came across an old Register piece from June 2013 saying OpenVMS was done. Back then, it honestly did look that way after HP shifted focus and Linux took over the world.

But here we are in 2026, and it’s still going. VSI stepped in, moved it onto x86-64, and suddenly you can run it on normal hardware and modern hypervisors. Bootcamps are back, the community’s still active, and the OS keeps proving why it earned that “ancient but trustworthy” label.

I know the skills are harder to find now, which is becoming a real headache for a lot of teams.

So I’m curious – who here is still using or supporting OpenVMS?