From: richard_maher@my-deja.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 9:53 AM
To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com
Subject: Captain RTR's Syphilitic Hoard of Cut-Throats

Hi,

I'm obviously being as articulate as a not very articulate thing. I
agree with everything you've just written but what *you* don't seem to
realize is that VMS *already* has a standard transaction API and has
had for ten years. It's called DECdtm! Unfortunately to date, most of
the DECdtm API has been concealed from customers by petty little empire
builders and their cynical attempts at extortion. Also, please note
that unlike an RTL the DECdtm API consists of system services that can
be called from inner modes for those resource managers and customer
applications that may require it. Critically, DECdtm is also fast! But
this speed will be jeopardized if RTR has to write txn/url info to its
journal in addition to the prevailing DECdtm i/o.

What Compaq needs to do now is redress the atrophy inflicted on DECdtm
in its wilderness years! Like it or not VMS is currently playing catch-
up to Microsoft and Tandem with eBusiness and internet transactions.
The Transaction Internet Protocol world is upon us. It's time for VMS
to cross the Rubicon or perish. What we should be talking about here
is "How can UCX IPv6 help our DECdtm/TIP implementation achieve TLS
(Transport Layer Security)?" or "DECdtm's new multiplexing algorithm
has given us an X tps increase in performance!" Instead all efforts are
being expended trying to repel captain RTR's syphilitic hoards from
boarding the good ship TIP :-(

Now, a lot of you seem to get your jollies slagging off Microsoft (Oh
did I laugh the 1000th time I read Micro$hit) but remember this, it is
VMS management that is forcing developers to buy/use RTR if they want
to get TIP, whereas Microsoft has said "We strongly suggest that you
use COM+ but if you don't want to, and you'd like to choose your own
2nd pipe then here's DtcGetTransactionManagerEx et al - Have fun with
our URLs." What is even worse (inconceivable) is that VMS management
seriously expects customers to install RTR on *every* server involved
in a transaction - Disbelief! Let me see - I'm running Windows 2000, do
I use a) MTS or b) RTR? Oh, the inner turmoil!!!

One day soon an XML page, a COM+ object invocation or a Socket message
is going to arrive at your VMS server's doorstep with an embedded TIP
URL. What are you going to do about it???

Regards Richard Maher


>I see your point of view. However, to be the devil's advocate, having
>a single standard API to ensure transcation routing on VMS will spurr
>development of applications that use this API. And knowing that all
>VMS sites have that API available means that applications that are
>written to use will run on any VMS box without forcing the customer to
>buy another piece of software.

>This is similar in principle, in my opinion, to providing the C and
>other compiler RTLs with the VMS system instead of with the compiler.


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