From Tape Loader to the Heart of VMS Engineering

At this point, I had been working in computer operations across both third and second shifts. I was learning a ton, but I had no idea how my skills stacked up against those of others doing similar work in DEC. I guess it was time to find out.

I also wanted to work closer to home in New Hampshire. Moving my job from Massachusetts to NH was like getting a nice raise just from the state tax savings! I checked the “Jobs Book”, yes, DEC had a centralized internal job listing tool well before anyone else—and found a role in New Hampshire. It was an operations group covering a massive three-building campus. We had at least six to eight computer rooms (mini data centers) supporting various business units across the floors.

The 4th Floor: Where the “Eggheads” Lived

Initially, I was a bit disappointed. In this new group, the operators mostly just loaded tapes and tore off reports. It was a step backward from what I had been doing—writing scripts, tuning performance, and booting systems and clusters.

However, one lab on the fourth floor caught my eye: VMS Engineering. This was where all the “eggheads” were. While the other operators avoided it, I loved being there. I got to know the team and, after a few months, managed to transfer there as their dedicated operator.

If you want a career in computers, there is no better place than the engineering group that writes the operating system. I was surrounded by the latest hardware, massive clusters, and exposure to everything.

Cutting Edge: BLISS and Early Internet

This group consisted of “true” heads-down coders. If I remember correctly, the OS was written in BLISS (Basic Language for Implementation of System Software); none of today’s modern languages were in the mix yet. I was working alongside the legends writing the OS, the backup software, and the booting logic. It was absolutely cutting-edge.

I had full rein of the lab. I wrote scripts to read and write files and catalog data, positioning myself perfectly for growth. After about two years, a position opened to work directly for the VMS Engineering organization. My job was building clusters, installing the next “pre-release” versions of the OS, and identifying various system configurations for stress-testing before shipping.

A Front-Row Seat to History

By this point, I was four years in, with specialized training and unbelievable exposure. Here’s a fun fact: I sat in on meetings where “Longnames” was discussed. That was the internal term for extending IP addresses for the growing network before most people even knew what the internet was.

DEC was at the bleeding edge of technology, and I was right there participating in it.

Next week: My first move away from DEC—the “why” and a bit of DEC history. Get ready; it’s a fascinating look at what happened to a powerhouse company and why.

Historical Context (Digital Equipment Corp)

• The “Jobs Book”: DEC was famous for its internal culture and tools. They had an “Internal Transfer System” that was decades ahead of its time.
• VMS & BLISS: OpenVMS (originally VAX/VMS) was indeed primarily written in BLISS. It was a unique “system programming language” that allowed DEC engineers to write high-level code that was as fast as Assembly.
• “Longnames” / IP Addresses: IPv6 or DEC’s own proprietary networking (DECnet Phase V), which aimed to solve the address space problem. DEC was a primary architect of the early internet; in fact, https://www.google.com/search?q=gatekeeper.dec.com was one of the most famous early internet nodes.

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