Article View: alt.folklore.computers
Article #556Re: Class project and question
From: rp... Robert P. Warnock
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1989 10:27
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1989 10:27
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In article <23...@bacchus.dec.com> roc...@arktos.pa.dec.com (Max Rochlin) writes: +--------------- | In article <15...@speedy.mcnc.org> Scott Kajihara asks: | > Question: anyone know why the VMS system has a clock that starts about | > November 15 in the late 1800's? UNIX's clock is a round number like | > midnight of January 1, 1970. | Why VMS regards November 17, 1858, as the beginning of | time... | The modified Julian date adopted by SAO (Smithsonian | Astrophysical Observatory) for satellite tracking is | Julian Day 2400000, which turns out to be November 17, 1858. +--------------- Well, according to some old DEC literature (TOPS-20 manual?), November 17, 1858, is "Day Zero" because that was the date of the first astronomical photograph, at Harvard University(?). DEC said that CDC also used that system. -Rob ----- Rob Warnock, MS-9U/510 rp...@wpd.sgi.com rp...@pei.com Silicon Graphics, Inc. (415)335-1673 Protocol Engines, Inc. 2011 N. Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, CA 94039-7311
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Path: mbox-mo1.pugleaf.net!gmdzi!unido!mcsun!uunet!ns-mx!ceres!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!dogie.macc.wisc.edu!decwrl!sgi!rp...@rigden.wpd.sgi.com From: rp...@rigden.wpd.sgi.com (Robert P. Warnock) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Class project and question Keywords: time VMS Message-ID: <46922@sgi.sgi.com> Date: 22 Dec 89 10:27:39 GMT References: <1534@speedy.mcnc.org> <2326@bacchus.dec.com> Sender: ne...@sgi.sgi.com Reply-To: rpw3@rigden.UUCP () Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA Lines: 28 Posted: Fri Dec 22 11:27:39 1989 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit