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From: Robert A Duff <bobduff@world.std.com>
Subject: Re: Confusing language, was Re: Help help.. please.i am totaly new in   ada programing
Date: 1999/11/09
Date: 1999-11-09T00:00:00+00:00	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <wcc1z9zk5ov.fsf@world.std.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 38270DC7.86553BB1@pwfl.com

Marin Condic <condicma@bogon.pwfl.com> writes:

> Y2K is not a bug. It is a feature. Y2K is simply caused by a design
> limitation that does not allow the software to work past 1999. This was
> a conscious choice to sacrifice useful life span in exchange for space
> efficiency. ...

That might be true in some cases, but I think that in the vast majority
of cases, Y2K bugs were caused by sloppiness.

After all, I can encode 256 years in one 8-bit byte.  So please explain
how encoding a mere 100 years in two bytes saves memory!

Furthermore, show me the documentation that explains that this was an
intended limitation, and the reasons for it.  Show me the code that says
"Max_Year: constant Year_Number := 1999; -- ....".  I'll bet that in the
vast majority of cases, nobody bothered to write anything like that
down, which supports my "sloppiness" claim.

> An analogy might be if you had some less than successful surgery years
> ago prior to the general availability of surgical microscopes.

The techniques needed to properly encode limitations such as the y2K
limit have been known since the 1960's, at least.  The fact that they
weren't used is no excuse.  Changing the limit from 1999 to 2099 or 9999
should be a one-line change, and it shouldn't cost millions of dollars
to find that line.

- Bob




  parent reply	other threads:[~1999-11-09  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           ` 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
     [not found]                     ` <01bf25cc$5d390fc0$022a6282@dieppe>
1999-11-03  0:00                       ` Georg Bauhaus
1999-11-04  0:00                         ` David Botton
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
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                             ` Richard D Riehle
1999-11-05  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                                   ` 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
1999-11-04  0:00                                   ` Hyman Rosen
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
1999-11-09  0:00                                     ` Tarjei Jensen
1999-11-09  0:00                                       ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-09  0:00                                       ` Y2K liability, was " tmoran
1999-11-08  0:00                                   ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-08  0:00                                     ` Marin Condic
1999-11-08  0:00                                       ` Ehud Lamm
1999-11-09  0:00                                         ` Robert I. Eachus
1999-11-09  0:00                                           ` Ehud Lamm
1999-11-09  0:00                                       ` Robert A Duff [this message]
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                                                 ` 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
1999-11-11  0:00                                               ` Robert Dewar
1999-11-11  0:00                                                 ` Robert A Duff
1999-11-12  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
1999-11-05  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
1999-11-02  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
1999-11-02  0:00           ` Ted Dennison
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
1999-11-03  0:00             ` Free Software -- was, " Richard D Riehle
1999-10-29  0:00   ` David Botton
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