comp.lang.ada
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From: Ehud Lamm <mslamm@mscc.huji.ac.il>
Subject: Re: Confusing language, was Re: Help help.. please.i am totaly new in  ada programing
Date: 1999/11/08
Date: 1999-11-08T21:38:19+00:00	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.3.96-heb-2.07.991108232625.143000B-100000@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 38270DC7.86553BB1@pwfl.com

As to the Y2K "bug"/"feature"

I am opposed to calling it a bug, myself. But my primary reason is
different. The Y2K name covers a wide range behaviours, so calling it a
"bug" is simply wrong - these are many systems, with many inputs and many
"wrong" behaviours. Maybe a 'class of bugs' maybe better.

Now the other issue is that most of these systems, didn't have any defined
behavious for these post-Y2K dates - since these wern't part of the
specification- in many cases nobadoy thought that the systems will be used
that long. Again - maybe a design error - but bug seems like the wrong
term.

All these are issues that are offtopic for comp.lang.ada. Maybe the
testing group will enjoy another thread about this "bug terminology"

One issue that is related to general software enginerring, is the issue of
reliability. Most Y2K errors, are not of the type where the systems stops
nicely and gives a message. They are usually errors that are propoagetd
into database, produce wrong results in computations, which are than
consisdered correct etc.
Now - if the design was correct only for dates upto 31/12/99 - than sanity
checks,defenisve programming etc. - MAY have been inorder (I agree with
MDC that this can be an engineering tradeof, based on costs, performence
etc.).
I think many Y2K solutions, simpyl deal with the date fields, and not with
the more important issue of reliability.

Ehud Lamm mslamm@mscc.huji.ac.il
http://purl.oclc.org/NET/ehudlamm <== My home on the web 
Check it out and subscribe to the E-List- for interesting essays and more!






  reply	other threads:[~1999-11-08  0:00 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 128+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
1999-10-29  0:00 Help help.. please.i am totaly new in ada programing vico
1999-10-29  0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1999-10-29  0:00   ` Gautier
1999-10-29  0:00     ` Matthew Heaney
1999-10-30  0:00       ` Dave Taylor
1999-10-30  0:00         ` gnat on macintosh James E. Hopper
1999-10-30  0:00           ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-10-30  0:00             ` James E. Hopper
1999-10-31  0:00       ` Help help.. please.i am totaly new in ada programing Robert Dewar
1999-10-29  0:00     ` Tucker Taft
1999-10-29  0:00       ` Jean-Pierre Rosen
1999-10-30  0:00     ` Siow Wey Hua
1999-10-29  0:00       ` Matthew Heaney
1999-10-29  0:00       ` David Starner
1999-10-31  0:00         ` Robert Dewar
1999-10-31  0:00       ` Robert Dewar
1999-10-31  0:00     ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-01  0:00       ` Tucker Taft
1999-11-01  0:00       ` Gautier
1999-11-02  0:00         ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-02  0:00           ` Ted Dennison
1999-11-02  0:00             ` Aidan Skinner
1999-11-03  0:00               ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-02  0:00             ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-02  0:00               ` Ted Dennison
1999-11-03  0:00             ` Free Software -- was, " Richard D Riehle
1999-11-02  0:00           ` Gautier
1999-11-02  0:00             ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-02  0:00               ` tmoran
1999-11-02  0:00                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-03  0:00                   ` tmoran
1999-11-03  0:00                     ` Preben Randhol
1999-11-03  0:00                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-03  0:00                         ` Confusing language, was " tmoran
1999-11-03  0:00                           ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-04  0:00                             ` tmoran
1999-11-04  0:00                               ` David Starner
1999-11-04  0:00                                 ` tmoran
1999-11-04  0:00                                   ` David Starner
1999-11-04  0:00                                   ` Hyman Rosen
1999-11-04  0:00                                   ` Aidan Skinner
1999-11-05  0:00                                     ` Craig Spannring
1999-11-05  0:00                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-05  0:00                                       ` Stefan Skoglund
1999-11-06  0:00                                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-05  0:00                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-09  0:00                                   ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-10  0:00                                     ` tmoran
1999-11-04  0:00                               ` Ted Dennison
1999-11-05  0:00                               ` Stefan Skoglund
1999-11-06  0:00                                 ` tmoran
1999-11-06  0:00                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-08  0:00                                 ` Tarjei Jensen
1999-11-08  0:00                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-08  0:00                                     ` Marin Condic
1999-11-08  0:00                                       ` Ehud Lamm [this message]
1999-11-09  0:00                                         ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-11-09  0:00                                           ` Ehud Lamm
1999-11-09  0:00                                       ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-09  0:00                                         ` Marin Condic
1999-11-09  0:00                                           ` Richard D Riehle
1999-11-10  0:00                                             ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-10  0:00                                               ` Richard D Riehle
1999-11-11  0:00                                                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-11  0:00                                                   ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-11  0:00                                                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-11  0:00                                                   ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-11  0:00                                               ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-11  0:00                                                 ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-12  0:00                                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-11  0:00                                               ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-11  0:00                                                 ` Marin Condic
1999-11-12  0:00                                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-12  0:00                                                     ` Marin Condic
1999-11-13  0:00                                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-12  0:00                                                     ` Marin Condic
1999-11-19  0:00                                                     ` GNAT.Calendar (was: Re: Confusing language, was Re: Help help.. please.i am totaly new in ada programing) Mario Amado Alves
1999-11-19  0:00                                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-12  0:00                                                 ` Confusing language, was Re: Help help.. please.i am totaly new in ada programing Robert I. Eachus
1999-11-12  0:00                                                   ` Marin Condic
1999-11-13  0:00                                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-13  0:00                                                     ` Nick Roberts
1999-11-15  0:00                                                       ` Samuel T. Harris
1999-11-15  0:00                                                     ` Ted Dennison
1999-11-15  0:00                                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-10  0:00                                           ` Confusing language etc Nick Roberts
1999-11-11  0:00                                             ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-09  0:00                                         ` Confusing language, was Re: Help help.. please.i am totaly new in ada programing Robert Dewar
1999-11-08  0:00                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-09  0:00                                     ` Tarjei Jensen
1999-11-09  0:00                                       ` Y2K liability, was " tmoran
1999-11-09  0:00                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-04  0:00                             ` Richard D Riehle
1999-11-05  0:00                               ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-05  0:00                         ` Stefan Skoglund
1999-11-05  0:00                           ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-11-03  0:00                     ` Georg Bauhaus
1999-11-03  0:00                       ` tmoran
1999-11-03  0:00                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-04  0:00                           ` tmoran
1999-11-04  0:00                             ` Charles Hixson
1999-11-04  0:00                               ` tmoran
1999-11-05  0:00                                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-08  0:00                                 ` Georg Bauhaus
1999-11-08  0:00                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-05  0:00                             ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-04  0:00                         ` Georg Bauhaus
1999-11-03  0:00                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-03  0:00                       ` Georg Bauhaus
1999-11-03  0:00                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-04  0:00                           ` Georg Bauhaus
1999-11-05  0:00                             ` Stefan Skoglund
1999-11-04  0:00                       ` Stanley R. Allen
1999-11-05  0:00                         ` Stefan Skoglund
     [not found]                     ` <01bf25cc$5d390fc0$022a6282@dieppe>
1999-11-03  0:00                       ` Georg Bauhaus
1999-11-04  0:00                         ` David Botton
1999-11-02  0:00             ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-02  0:00               ` Gautier
1999-11-02  0:00               ` Ted Dennison
1999-11-02  0:00                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-02  0:00                   ` Ted Dennison
1999-11-03  0:00                   ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-11-03  0:00                     ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-03  0:00                       ` Larry Kilgallen
1999-11-03  0:00                         ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-03  0:00               ` Aidan Skinner
1999-11-03  0:00                 ` Robert Dewar
1999-10-29  0:00   ` David Botton
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