Well, the homebrew finger server (latest on DUNE:: ) is working and will even route through. It did
seem to be a combination of record initialisers (item lists for $getjpi etc) and for some reason, the compiler
at one point seems to have optimised away a variable marked [volatile] !!
Thanks Tony for the Pascal upgrade. It seems to have solved the [volatile] issue though I’m still using
‘with’ clauses to initialise arrays of records.
I only have to implement output’ing a user’s plan. I’m not going to bother with idle time (probably).
I have a bit of a problem with VMS I/O records though. I regard the record as a line, so I strip, like
Python’s .strip() the redundant CR+LF and use writeln() to output it on the terminal or back down
the line to the remote end. It looks like I’m going to have to append CRLF for remote consumption.
Is DECnet finger supposed to interoperate with tcp/ip finger at some point, hence the CRLF (though shouldn’t
that just be LF?
Anyway, there it is.
K
From: Tony Nicholson [mailto:tony.nicholson@computer.org]
Sent: 18 January 2026 23:15
To: Terri Kennedy <terri-hecnet@glaver.org>
Cc: The Hobbyist DECnet mailing list <hecnet@lists.dfupdate.se>
Subject: [HECnet] Re: DECnet Finger Specification (Possible re-post) and Tops-20 Finger Setup Documentation (New)
On Mon, Jan 19, 2026 at 9:13 AM Terri Kennedy <terri-hecnet@glaver.org> wrote:
[snip]
Got it, thanks! Do you have any other newer product kits?
I have:
Terri et al,
Most of the latest VAX kits I have are from the HP OpenVMS VAX Consolidated
Distribution CD-ROM Set dated Dec-2007. There's images online for them at
In addition, I have all the patches you mention from back when the Hobbyist program
gave access to the Software Products Library online and via my employer's
access to this behind the paywall via their maintenance agreements with HPE.
The PASCAL V6.0-114 came from HPE software support when it was in India.
I also have DCPS V2.7 as a PCSI kit for VAX for printing to newer (now ancient)
HP LaserJet series and other Postscript printers (like my home office Fuji-Xerox
DocuPrint M355df laser). I'll put this and the install guide at
VOGON::[.DCPS027]
Martin Vorlaender's site at https://de.openvms.org/martinv/VMS_CD_KITS.html is a
good reference to locating products on the various Software Products library update
CD-ROMs.
My Alpha and x86_64 systems now run VSI OpenVMS with Ambassador licenses,
hence I have access to all their latest products and patches via their download portal.
Tony
--
Tony Nicholson <tony.nicholson@computer.org>