Re: Class project and question

Thread View: alt.folklore.computers

2 messages

[T] Back to Threads [V] Tree View [G] Group Articles

2 total messages Started by bu... Ben Burch Thu, 21 Dec 1989 21:38

#553

Author: bu... Ben Burch
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1989 21:38

21 lines
1472 bytes

-Message-Text-Follows-
In article <15...@speedy.mcnc.org>, kaji...@mcnc.org (Lord of Sith) writes...
> 
>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.
> 
>     Scott Kajihara

November 15, 1858, 00:00 hours if memory serves (I could look it up, but
why bother when you can create an amusing error?).  This date and time
are the base of the Modified Julian Date system.  This system was created
in the early 60s or late 50s so that the orbital element programs then
in use could represent a date that contained all modern planetary
observations without wasting as many bits as you would if your machine
had to represent dates and times to the base of the Julian date system.

On VMS, eight bytes are used and contain the "clunks", ie 10 ms intervals
since the base time.

- Ben Burch

System time (was Re: Class project and question)

#554

Author: Ed McGuire,1410 EB,,
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1989 17:09

9 lines
804 bytes

>From article <70...@shlump.nac.dec.com>, by bu...@slab.enet.dec.com (Ben Burch):

> On VMS, eight bytes are used and contain the "clunks", ie 10 ms intervals
> since the base time.

And did you know that VMS system administrators have to specify certain
time-related system parameters in units of `micro-fortnights'?  :-)

peace.  -- Ed

Thread Navigation

This is a paginated view of messages in the thread with full content displayed inline.

Messages are displayed in chronological order, with the original post highlighted in green.

Use pagination controls to navigate through all messages in large threads.

Back to All Threads