From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 1108a1,37e6dbf5e31f6da0 X-Google-Attributes: gid1108a1,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,37e6dbf5e31f6da0 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: ff6c8,37e6dbf5e31f6da0 X-Google-Attributes: gidff6c8,public X-Google-Thread: 10db24,37e6dbf5e31f6da0 X-Google-Attributes: gid10db24,public X-Google-Thread: f43e6,37e6dbf5e31f6da0 X-Google-Attributes: gidf43e6,public From: kilgallen@eisner.decus.org (Larry Kilgallen) Subject: Re: Software Engineering News Brief Date: 1996/11/18 Message-ID: <1996Nov18.091831.1@eisner>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 197220808 x-nntp-posting-host: eisner.decus.org references: <55nqea$32a@news2.delphi.com> <3280BAFA.1B2F@email.mot.com> <563tle$cu7$1@shade.twinsun.com> <56lvss$r82@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> <01bbd490$356f8220$686700cf@ljelmore.montana> x-nntp-posting-user: KILGALLEN x-trace: 848326716/27309 organization: LJK Software newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.sw.components,comp.object,comp.software-eng,comp.edu Date: 1996-11-18T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: In article <01bbd490$356f8220$686700cf@ljelmore.montana>, "Larry J. Elmore" writes: > I agree that it's unnecessary for Ada to directly support dates rtanging > over thousands of years, but IMHO the 1900-2099 A.D. limit is just too > small. For example, any program dealing with birthdates of people (and I'm > thinking mainly in the health care field right now where many patients are > elderly), many people alive today were born before 1900. And genealogists might want support a few centuries back, or a few more centuries depending on how successful they have been in their work. As one goes further back, human assumptions about rule sets diverge. > elderly), many people alive today were born before 1900. Ada *should* > directly support dates widely used in many programs today. I would think a health-care date package, and a genealogical date package would be a better approach. The former might merely extend the years, while the latter would handle localization issues. Look at the more complete family of Machintosh toolbox date calls for a set of capabilities way beyond what the average programmer should be forced to face. The Ada standard date package should provide for those whose needs are _not_ specialized arould date issues. The same should be true in other areas. Larry Kilgallen