💾 Archived View for gem.sdf.org › jmccue › computer › wangvs.gmi captured on 2023-11-04 at 11:49:51. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Wang VS

This was a very Unique OS, I have seen nothing similar to it at all.

What follows are some notes I remember about it. I used this OS for over 18 years, but my memory is a bit fuzzy.

Only 2 type of files, Indexed (ISAM) and Consecutive (Text).
Record Sizes can be set as Fixed or Variable Length.
Consecutive could be looked at as UNIX Byte Streams, but not really.
A Flag could be set to allow the File to be compressed or uncompressed.
Backups were performed to 9 tack reel tapes. Also the multiple CRC Errors on restore will give you a good reason to drink :)
Disk Drives were call Volumes.
Only 1 "Directory Level". On the VS these were called "Libraries".
Max Library and File Name Size was 8 characters.
No lowercase characters.
There is no concept of a "Command Line", all activates where accomplished via TUI Screens.
No such things as "file extensions".
Instead of saying "I deleted a file", one would say "I scratched a file". That was very common usage for people and customers using the VS.
Users did not have what one would call a home directory.
If I remember correctly, you set Volume/Library/File Access based upon user ID (it has been a while).
Development tools were quite good, you had 2 full screen editors, "EDIT" an "ADEPT", plus a number of code generation tools.
Creating TUI screens were trivial, easier than anything I have seen since. TUI Screen Creation on the VS puts UNIX curses to shame.
The Terminals you connected to the VS were not dumb but I think an 8 bit tiny computer.
When Microsoft Windows came out, Wang created an GUI Application you could use to connect to the VS from your PC.
There was a database system called "PACE", with PACE you could create a very complex application within 2 days. The tools were very smart, I have seen nothing as powerful or easy since.
These were pre-internet systems, but could be networked using WSN (Wang System Numbers).
Kind of odd, but you could execute Wang WP on the VS.

Supported languages:

COBOL
FORTRON
PL/1
C
assembler, rather similar to IBM Mainframe asm.
Procedure Language, a complex scripting language.
There were others that I have since forgotten about.

SHA512 for "Wang VS Procedure Language Examples"

Wang VS Procedure Language Examples

Workaround for Download Failures

back

back to OS Info

back to my capsule

$Id: wangvs.gmi,v 2.4 2023/10/17 14:53:44 jmccue Exp $