There are many resources for OpenVMS users around the web…

Need information on OpenVMS itself? You can start your quest at the main HP OpenVMS web site:

• HP OpenVMS; and the HP OpenVMS Documentation Library
• HP (Corporate) Documentation Library; Software Product Descriptions (SPDs), Integrity Hardware Manuals, etc.

What follows are but a few of the many other resources around the web, and listed in no particular order.

Technical (Hardware and Software) Resources

• Eight Cubed; and the Eight Cubed Source Code Example Library
• OpenVMS Hobbyist Site; Hobbyist OpenVMS licenses, and US$30 CD OpenVMS media kits
• OpenVMS.Org
• Encompasserve Discussion Forums
• Ian Miller's Freeware Page
• OpenVMS Rocks (Deathrow)
• Hunter Goatley's Software Archives at Process Software (good IP stacks, too)
• Pointers to source code examples and programming resources for various programming languages
• vt100.net and the MANX archives; large collection of old VAX, Alpha and other hardware manuals
  MANX went offline c. 28-Sep-2009; folks are looking at re-hosting its contents elsewhere.
• Steven Schweda's Antinode; for various materials including zip and unzip betas, et al; Antinode.Info was formerly at Antinode.org.
  Additional information on zip and unzip here at HoffmanLabs.
• StackOverflow VMS Topics

Blogs with OpenVMS Content

• Jim Duff
• Aaron Sakovich
• SYSMGR in the Attic
• Stan Quayle's “VMS Spoken Here”
• OpenVMS Topics in David Douthitt's Blog
• Hoff's blog here at HoffmanLabs; this blog replaces a blog formerly available at HP at http://h20325.www2.hp.com/blogs/hoffman/
• John Fisher's FisherFindings on OpenVMS Storage. (Inactive)

OpenVMS and IRC (Chat) Forums

There is an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) forum available and active, and there are clients for various platforms including an OpenVMS IRC client.

• djslocker.2600.net (primary host) channel #vms
• irc.2600.net (alternate host) channel #vms
• Via web, select the “Deathrow Chat” link at deathrow.vistech.net

OpenVMS and Linux Comparisons, Portability

Materials that compare OpenVMS commands and operations to those of Linux, Unix and Mac OS X boxes.

• The From VMS to Linux HOWTO
• DCL and bash command comparison
• DCL SEARCH to bash grep
• Porting Applications Off of OpenVMS and Porting Applications onto OpenVMS I64

Hobbyist OpenVMS Access

Where can you get interactive access to OpenVMS?

• Encompasserve (DECUServe)
• Deathrow
• HP Test Drive (access is being discontinued)
• Load OpenVMS VAX on your own local simh VAX emulator
  There is no sanctioned OpenVMS ISO disk image available for download via ftp or BitTorrent.
  You'll have to join the hobbyist program and purchase a US$30 CD kit
• PolarHome offers shell (DCL) access to a variety of servers and operating systems — including OpenVMS — and also hosts various open source projects including an OpenVMS vim port.

The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Many, many more links are available within the OpenVMS FAQ.

Recommendations and updates and suggestions are welcome.

Revisions

Most recent revisions are listed first.

• 28-Sep-2009 — manx has gone offline.
• 24-Sep-2009 — Removed Galen's VMS Hobbyist Spot (formerly at galens-vms.blogspot.com) per request; that blog has been retired.
• 20-Sep-2009 — added PolarHome; added this revisions section