VMS

   {DEC}'s  proprietary operating system for its {VAX} minicomputer; one
   of the seven or so environments that loom largest in hacker folklore.
   Many  Unix  fans  generously  concede  that VMS would probably be the
   hacker's  favorite  commercial  OS if Unix didn't exist; though true,
   this makes VMS fans furious. One major hacker gripe with VMS concerns
   its slowness -- thus the following limerick:

      There once was a system called VMS
      Of cycles by no means abstemious.
           It's chock-full of hacks
           And runs on a VAX
      And makes my poor stomach all squeamious.
                                       -- The Great Quux

   See also {VAX}, {TOPS-10}, {TOPS-20}, {Unix}, {runic}.

[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {bounce}{DRECNET}{holy wars}{TOPS-10}{TWENEX}]