topic Re: Question about Alpha Installation Kit in Operating System - OpenVMS

Question about Alpha Installation Kit

Mikener — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 13:01:14 GMT

I am new to the Alpha (running OpenVms) and have the following questions:

1. Does the DEC Basic compiler come standard when you buy/install the Alpha OS?

2. If so, where can I obtain the installation documentation?

3. If not, how do I obtain the compiler and what is the cost.

4. How does DEC Basic differ from VAX Basic? Is there a great deal of differences?

Thank you very much.

Re: Question about Alpha Installation Kit

John Gillings — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 15:26:58 GMT

>1. Does the DEC Basic compiler
>come standard when you buy/install
>the Alpha OS?

No. HP BASIC for OpenVMS is a separate layered product. To develop programs you will need a kit and purchase a license PAK.

The Basic run time environment is included in the base OS license and is present on all OpenVMS systems

>2. If so, where can I obtain the
>installation documentation?

The installation kit is on the Consolidated Distribution CD set (usually disk #2). Documentation is on the Online Documentation set, and can also be found from the OpenVMS home page http://www.hp.com/products/openvms (follow the link to online documentation, then the left hand link to "HP BASIC for OpenVMS"

>3. If not, how do I obtain the
>compiler and what is the cost.

Ask your HP Sales rep or HP reseller. I'm not sure if the cost varies by geography. It does vary by capacity. Most licenses these days are activity based. That is, you pay according to how many simultaneous compilations you want to be able to execute.

>4. How does DEC Basic differ from
>VAX Basic? Is there a great deal of
>differences?

Note the product name is now "HP BASIC for OpenVMS"

Probably the biggest difference is HP Basic does not have an interactive interpreter. Alpha and I64 implementations also have an extended range of data types, and perform extensive optimisation of generated code.

These changes, in general, extend the capabilities of the compiler. Most existing, debugged, VAX BASIC code should compile correctly, but may require modifications to exploit potential performance improvements on the later platforms.

See Appendix C of "HP BASIC for OpenVMS
Reference Manual" for details.

Re: Question about Alpha Installation Kit

Ian Miller. — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 01:57:49 GMT

documentation for BASIC is here
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/basic.html

SPD is
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/info/SP2536/SP2536PF.PDF

Re: Question about Alpha Installation Kit

comarow — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 11:46:24 GMT

As stated, Basic is not included, you need a separate license. Basic is standardized,
the biggest difference is there are extensions that allow calling system or library calls, and using larger memory types.

send me an email
robert.comarow@hp.com

and I'll have you contacted with the costs.