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"Open" in the late 80's / early 90's meant open specifications & open API's. "Open Software Foundation" made a closed-source UNIX OSF/1.

The term "open source" didn't come about until much later

The "Open" was added to suggest harmony with POSIX, Motif/CDE and other standards. OpenVMS was a proprietary OS used on VAX and Alpha computers long before DEC was bought by Compaq (and then HP) and the name was not suggesting open source the way OpenSolaris does.

And this is usage is not unique to OpenVMS, btw - in mainframe circles, most more mainstream technologies are referred to as "open systems".

I was aware of VMS and its proprietary history long before they added Open to it. I'm still not sure how Open ties to those other things.

"Open standards"?

(Most of) the source was distributed with the operating system binaries, as microfiche.

I spent a few days peering at an old 'fiche reader figuring out how VMS stored user-defined account text in the process control block. We were doing chargeback you see...

The fun bit was the explanation of how a VAX booted VMS. The Cheshire cat was the mascot: the CPU was set up to have real and virtual addresses line up, then the VM bit was turned on, and...presto, no cat.