Editing Files-11 (section)

== History ==
The native OpenVMS file system is descended from older DEC operating systems and is similar in many ways, both having been designed by [[Dave Cutler]]. A major difference is the layout of directories. These file systems all provided some form of rudimentary non-hierarchical directory structure, typically based on assigning one directory per user account. Under RSTS/E, each user account was represented by two numbers, a <code>[''project'',''programmer'']</code> pair, and had one associated directory. Special system files, such as program executables and the OS itself, were stored in the directory of a reserved system account.

While this was suitable for [[PDP-11]] systems, which possessed limited permanent storage capacity, [[VAX]] systems with much larger [[hard drive]]s required a more flexible method of file storage:  hierarchical directory layout in particular, the most notable improvement in ODS-2.