People who come into contact with the VAX/VMS system are often told, 
"If you have trouble, see so-and-so, he's a guru", or "Bob there is
a real VMS hacker."

What is a "VMS Wizard"?  How does he differ from a "guru"?

To explore these and other questions, here is a draft of the "VMS Hierarchy":


NAME		DESCRIPTION AND FEATURES

beginner	- insecure with the concept of a terminal
		- has yet to learn the basics of EDIT/EDT
		- has not figured out how to get a directory
		- still has trouble with typing <RETURN>
		  after each line of input
		- a totally lost IBM OS/VS guru   

novice		- knows that "DIR" will produce a directory
		- uses the editor, but uses QUIT instead of EXIT
		- has heard of "C" but never used it
		- has had a bad experience with DEL *.*;*
		- is wondering how to read mail
		- is wondering why the person next door
		  seems to like VMS so very much

user		- uses EDIT/EDT and RUNOFF, but inexpertly
		- has heard of kernel mode but don't know what it is
		- has figured out that '/' precedes options
		- is wondering how to move a directory
		- thinks that /DEBUG is a brand of pesticide
		- has lots of MAIL$*.MAI's in his SYS$LOGIN
		- has attempted to write a C program but decided
		  to stick with FORTRAN
		- knows how to read mail and is wondering how
		  to read the news

knowledgeable	- uses RUNOFF with no trouble, and is beginning to learn EVE
user		- uses SEARCH to search for fixed strings
		- has figured out that RENAME will move directories
		- has learned that HELP usually helps
		- somebody has shown him how to write C programs
		- watched somebody use /DEBUG once
		- an UNIX expert looking for VMS make
		- has stopped creating a path more than 8 levels deep
		- has changed his process name
		- writes DCL scripts occasionally
		- uses SET QUEUE/REQUEUE when needed
		- subscribes to INFO-VAX and/or reads VAX Professional 

expert		- has mastered the differences between symbols and logicals
		- has figured out to use '' inside ""
		- uses LEXICALs with comfort
		- uses EVE, uses TPU commands directly when necessary
		- posts news to INFO-VAX at every possible opportunity
		- has figured out what esc[0,7] = %x1b and exit %x848800 are for
		- uses RTL functions occasionally
		- is still wondering how to successfully reply to mail
		  across gateways
		- uses large number of RMS buffers because somebody said 
		  it was faster
		- writes C programs using EVE and compiles with MMS or a
		  mutant of UNIX's make         

hacker		- starts to use MACRO
		- installs sharable libraries
		- uses undocumented features of DCL (e.g. SET WATCH)
		- writes C code with "CREATE" 
 		- sends mail without using MAIL
		- writes his own TPU macros to supplement the standard ones
		- rebuilds DCL with his own CLI
		- installs bug fixes from the net
		- uses appropriate number of RMS buffers because he timed it
		- spends New Year's Eve in front of a uVAX hacking
		- has anonymously FTP'ed useless software from other sites 
		- has been to DECUS conference at least once
		- dispatches worms to SPAN/HEPNET 
		- tries to crack SYSUAF.DAT
		- left Trojan horses in the default DECnet directory 
		  and was caught

guru		- uses BLISS and MACRO with ease
		- uses fab$ library functions with comfort
		- writes MACRO code with "CREATE"
		- customizes VMS utilities by patching the source
		- reads device driver source with breakfast
		- uses TECO instead of EVE because of nostalgia
		- can answer any VMS question after a little thought
		- has learned how to breach security but no longer needs to try
	   	- is putting his own utilities into the next DECUS tape release
		- uses MMS or make for anything that requires two or more 
	    	  commands                                  
		- has the title "VMS Guru" in his signature

wizard		- writes device drivers with "CREATE"
		- fixes bugs by patching the binaries
		- can tell what question you are about to ask, and answer it
		- posts his changes to VMS/DECUS utilities to the net --
		  and they work
		- is on a first-name basis with Ruth Goldenberg, 
		  Nancy Kronenberg, Bill Strecker, etc
		- has the title "VMS Wizard" in his signature

Ken Wong at the Ministry of Regional Development, Victoria, B.C., Canada
Internet:	kkwong%comet.profs@uvunix.UVic.ca	(80 columns max)
UUCP:		{uw-beaver, ubc-cs}!uvunix!sol!kwong
CDNnet:		kwong@sol.uvic.cdn