home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!news.service.uci.edu!unogate!mvb.saic.com!simpact!decwrl!pa.dec.com!rdg.dec.com!uvo.dec.com!e2big.mko.dec.com!sparty.zko.dec.com!walsh
- Newsgroups: vmsnet.tpu
- Subject: Re: how compatible is DECset 11 LSE/SCA
- Message-ID: <1993Jan11.182258.6008@e2big.mko.dec.com>
- From: walsh@sparty.zko.dec.com (Chris Walsh - DECset project leader)
- Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 18:22:58 GMT
- Reply-To: walsh@sparty.zko.dec.com (Chris Walsh)
- Sender: usenet@e2big.mko.dec.com (Mr. USENET)
- References: <1993Jan5.112408@mccall.com>
- Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
- Lines: 86
-
- Terry Poot (tp@mccall.com) raised several issues about DECset, and
- particularly the LSE component, several days ago. Let me try to respond to
- them all (Terry, if I miss something please followup.) Warning - this may be
- a little lengthy.
-
- >I use VAXset v10, and now have the CDrom with DECset v11. Looking through the
- >release notes it seems that massive changes have been made to LSE and SCA. The
- >SCA changes look quite interesting, but the LSE changes have me a bit worried.
- >I'm in the middle of a project and can't take the time to learn the new stuff
- >and teach it to the other guy here. The SCA stuff, however, looks quite
- >appealing and I'd like to be able to access it.
- >
- >The release notes mention a bunch of compatibility settings, but really only
- >hint at them. The only manuals on the CDrom are guides, and don't talk about
- >back-compatibility at all. The reference manuals aren't on the CD! They are in
- >the product kits and you have to install the stuff to easily get access to
- >them! (That's a first, as far as I know, and one I don't like, the reference
- >manuals should be on the CD.)
-
- The new document packaging has gotten some mixed reviews. Some like it, some
- don't. I suspect that what you are missing is that the reference manuals are
- included within the DECset images - there is a new set of savesets called
- DECSETDOCS that contains the manuals you want.
-
- Unfortunately, for various reasons I'd rather not go into, we do not have
- bookreader format for these books. The normal CD documentation distribution
- requires bookreader format, so they could not be included there. Faced with
- not having the books available on-line, or putting them in our kits - we put
- them in the kits.
-
- >So, anyone know the story? Can I install this stuff without rewriting my
- >section files and language environments and relearning and retraining almost
- >as though they were new products? Or should I resign myself to not having this
- >stuff till I can devote a week to getting it all up to speed?
-
- You can install without breaking everything. Installed correctly, LSE users
- that use the system section file won't be able to tell the a new LSE has been
- installed. LSE users with customized section files will need to rebuild
- them, as is true of every new release of LSE.
-
- >If the
- >compatibility stuff is all there, could anyone summarize how to turn it all
- >on?
-
- LSE'S installation checks to see if there is a previously installed LSE. If
- there is one, it asks the installer if he/she wants the use the default
- settings of the installed LSE. If the installer says "yes" the user base
- won't be able to tell there is a new LSE on the system except for rebuilding
- their private section files which has always been the case for LSE.
-
- Note carefully! LSE V4.0 has two command languages on VMS. The V3.1
- compatable language and a "Portable Language" developed to be operating
- system independent and portably implemented. (The V3.1 compatable language
- depended on VMS)
-
- Documentation for the V3.1 compatable language is no longer shipped. So if
- you intend to continue to use it, save your manual(s).
-
- >Any other gotchas on DECset v11?
-
- You should be aware, if you haven't already gotten it, that there is a DECset
- version V11.0a that fixes the following problems:
-
- - A potential data corruption within very large CMS libraries.
- - Installing MMS did not recognize the existence of FMS correctly.
- - Installing PCA required DECwindows Motif to be on the system - even if
- you didn't want the Motif interface.
-
- The installation problems can be worked around (albeit not trivially.)
- However, the CMS problem is potentially quite serious, and we recommend that
- you update to the new version of CMS.
-
- >Comments on the debugger (I know I'm drifting off topic for this
- >group, but I thought I'd ask, since I'm here :-) ).
-
- The debugger is essentially the same debugger coming out in new VMS releases.
- It has a *much* improved graphical interface. We included it on the DECset
- kit as a "sneak preview", so that it would be available earlier than if it
- waited for a VMS release.
-
- The debugger may or may not continue to be released with DECset. It will
- depend to some extent upon how the DECset, debugger and VMS schedules
- synchronize.
- --
- Chris Walsh walsh@zko.enet.dec.com
- 603.881.2302 (DTN 381-2302)
-