Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
Hi, >EOF marker card was filled with 80 nines, since it was an 80 column >card. The code was being written when the date 9/9/99 was so far off >that everyone thought the program would be replaced by a more modern >technology before it bacame a problem. Using a 9's card to signify EOF >was standard procedure for the industry. I learned it from my classes >at IBM. So I guess according to your perfect 20-20 hindsite, Big Blue >should be forced into bankrupcy for teaching such a poor technique. Because of that, and the fact that they can deduce the date "9/9/99" from a row of 80 nines. No wait, don't use that algorithm in your code kids, you're probably violating an IBM patent on date compression that is unheard of until now !!! Just because IBM teaches something doesn't make it good. Did you ever hear of Microsoft, pray ? (Oops, I might have stepped into sth. here...) Alexander Dietrich -- | Alexander Dietrich | Norderstedt, Germany | | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
EOF marker card was filled with 80 nines, since it was an 80 column card. The code was being written when the date 9/9/99 was so far off that everyone thought the program would be replaced by a more modern technology before it bacame a problem. Using a 9's card to signify EOF was standard procedure for the industry. I learned it from my classes at IBM. So I guess according to your perfect 20-20 hindsite, Big Blue should be forced into bankrupcy for teaching such a poor technique. Alexander Dietrich writ: > > Hi, > > >When you read a record with FORTRAN, the read statement tells what the > >numbers mean by the position of the numbers. I doubt that any of that > > As I said, a date like "" wouldn't make any sense then, > unless you live in a world with only single digit months/days ! > Of course this error could still happen, but there would have > to be an incredibly stupid programmer to use a simple number > as an EOF marker and the code would have a glaring bug to > store a date in this buggy format. > > Alexander Dietrich > -- > | Alexander Dietrich | Norderstedt, Germany | > | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | > > - > To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word > "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Jim Coon Not just another pretty mandolin picker mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If Gibson made cars, would they sound so sweet? My first web page http://www.tir.com/~liteways/ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
Hi, >The problem is/was that 9/9/99 was used as an exit code (esp for really old >text based data entry) eg: > >Enter new date (enter 9/9/99 to exit program) :> Ah, now that's a plausible scenario. However, if I had been the one who had contracted this programmer, I'd have him executed on the spot. ;) Why not just take "0" as exit code ? Much easier. Did they really think the 90's would never come ? Alexander Dietrich -- | Alexander Dietrich | Norderstedt, Germany | | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
Hi, >When you read a record with FORTRAN, the read statement tells what the >numbers mean by the position of the numbers. I doubt that any of that As I said, a date like "" wouldn't make any sense then, unless you live in a world with only single digit months/days ! Of course this error could still happen, but there would have to be an incredibly stupid programmer to use a simple number as an EOF marker and the code would have a glaring bug to store a date in this buggy format. Alexander Dietrich -- | Alexander Dietrich | Norderstedt, Germany | | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
When I wrote code back in the 60's and 70's using FORTRAN, we would read the data, then check for 99 and if that apeared, we interpreted it as End Of File and the program then processed the apropriate code to stop reading the data and do the calculations and print the report. When you read a record with FORTRAN, the read statement tells what the numbers mean by the position of the numbers. I doubt that any of that code still is running except on the ancient machines we still have at work, a Buroughs B 1900 and Control Data 1700 series mainframes. They run FORTRAN and COBOL, I will let you know if they crash tomorrow. :) Alexander Dietrich wrote: > > Could you explain that ? I believe the assumption was that some > programs represent the 9/9/99 as "" which incidentally is > used by other/the same programs as some sort of signal. > "" is a string representation, so how is your program going > to figure that "" = "9/9/99" if it ever wants to get a useful > date back ? -- Jim Coon Not just another pretty mandolin picker mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If Gibson made cars, would they sound so sweet? My first web page http://www.tir.com/~liteways/ - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
> >Actually this is a problem for some system.. that is field based systems > >only such as COBOL FORTRAN.. ETC.. windows should not be affected.. > > Could you explain that ? I believe the assumption was that some > programs represent the 9/9/99 as "" which incidentally is > used by other/the same programs as some sort of signal. > "" is a string representation, so how is your program going > to figure that "" = "9/9/99" if it ever wants to get a useful > date back ? The problem is/was that 9/9/99 was used as an exit code (esp for really old text based data entry) eg: Enter new date (enter 9/9/99 to exit program) :> Back in the 60s/70s it didn't matter really, and tbh it's not too much of a concern these days, but there's always the possibility that there's some old code that relies on it floating about somewhere. We'll see :) Don't expect too many planes to fall out of the sky though.. Simon - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
Hi, >Actually this is a problem for some system.. that is field based systems >only such as COBOL FORTRAN.. ETC.. windows should not be affected.. Could you explain that ? I believe the assumption was that some programs represent the 9/9/99 as "" which incidentally is used by other/the same programs as some sort of signal. "" is a string representation, so how is your program going to figure that "" = "9/9/99" if it ever wants to get a useful date back ? Then what about "11199" ? Is that the January 11th or November 1st ? It just doesn't work. You would at least have to use 090999 or some format with markers, like 9/9/99 or 9.9.99. And in binary format the date won't look like "" anyway. Alexander Dietrich -> Gosh this was OT, excuse me ! -- | Alexander Dietrich | Norderstedt, Germany | | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
=== = NB: Over 50% of this message is QUOTED, please = = be more selective when quoting text = === Actually this is a problem for some system.. that is field based systems only such as COBOL FORTRAN.. ETC.. windows should not be affected.. At 10:51 PM 9/8/99 +0200, you wrote: > >Hi, > >>Well, tomorrow is also a big day. They day of the nines card. I >>remember using them to signify EOF or End Of File. So if your computer >>programs stop tomorrow you will know why. > >Ye gods, here comes another one... >This thing is just as fake as the Windows 2-digit one, >although not as many people are probably going to fall >for it. > >Regards, >Alexander Dietrich >-- >| Alexander Dietrich | Norderstedt, Germany | >| e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | > >- >To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word >"unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: MD: Hoax: 9999999 (was: Y2K compliance Hoax)
Hi, >Well, tomorrow is also a big day. They day of the nines card. I >remember using them to signify EOF or End Of File. So if your computer >programs stop tomorrow you will know why. Ye gods, here comes another one... This thing is just as fake as the Windows 2-digit one, although not as many people are probably going to fall for it. Regards, Alexander Dietrich -- | Alexander Dietrich | Norderstedt, Germany | | e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | - To stop getting this list send a message containing just the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
