[virtmach] Your VM

[virtmach@iecc.com]

People

Glad to see this NG is still alive (just). I've been subscribed for months too,
and heard almost nothing.

Let me explain my interest. My company has a legacy system consisting of lots of
Pascal and assembler code (Tektronix compiler/assembler/linker running on
VAX/VMS, both obsolete) and the MTOS operating system (also obsolete?). Target
is Mot 68k (obsolete in 5 yrs?).

So we need to move off 1) Tek tools, 2) VAX/VMS, 3) 68k.

I have 2 crazy schemes to achieve this:

1) Re-code MTOS in Delphi (we have the source), beg/borrow/steal/rewrite a
Pascal compiler to generate an intermediate code, and execute this in the
Delphi/MTOS VM.

2) Translate the Tektronix Pascal source into Delphi/Kylix source (not trivial)
and write an interface to convert the MTOS system calls to work under Linux.

I have dismissed the obvious choice (re-write in C) because I don't like it.
Actually it's more logical than that: we have a good team who know Pascal, and
staff turn-over is low. If we were doing C/C++, MFC etc. the turnover would be
high, and the cost/efficiency low....

So... which makes more sense. Or is there a better way?

All ideas welcome...

Steve