From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!mike@rice
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Title: Phoenix rumors
Article-I.D.: sri-unix.5215
Posted: Sun Feb 27 19:58:21 1983
Received: Tue Mar  1 08:40:25 1983

From: Michael Caplinger 
Date:     6 Jan 83 15:42:36-CST (Thu)
This is to respond to a rumor about Rice's VMS/Unix emulator
Phoenix that came to my attention.

The first part of the rumor claimed that we had
legal problems with SRI or Wollongong about distribution.
This is not true; we will have no difficulty distributing
as planned, for distribution charges (probably about $300)
ONLY.

The second part held that running Phoenix required that
a site make patches to the VMS operating system kernel.
This isn't true either.

There are NO VMS MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED!  The only facility
used which is not explicitly defined as a VMS user
interface is a psuedo-device driver that must be installed,
but we are planning on eliminating this in version 2. But
there are certainly no kernel mods required; we moved
painlessly from VMS 3.0 to 3.1 with no changes. 

The system is heavily insulated, both from changes in VMS
and from changes in Phoenix itself; for example, programs
will not have to be relinked when different releases of
Phoenix come out.

	- Mike

ps.  More information can be obtained by mailing to me
or, preferably, to Phoenix-request.Rice@Udel-Relay.