Re: Some of Ron's Code?



Jim wrote:
Ken Tilton wrote:

What capability? Computers do not do julian date calculations,
applications do.

The capability to hold that much software, of course. They have a
number of routines to fit in there, and there may well simply not have
been enough room for the one that we are talking about. We are talking
K's here, not M's or G's.

Oh, probably not. Lisp Machines had a lot of RAM because the DOD was paying the tab. I think the shuttle boxes have some RAM. besides....

....they fly across month boundaries (I am guessing, but I would die laughing if it turns out they actually avoid that, too) and apparently are doing /some/ calculations that will break by crossing a year boundary, so it seems like they know about going from 28, 29, 30, and 31 to 1 so a year rollover (if (month==12)...) -- what? another three lines of code?

I think you guys are being to easy on Ron. :)

Wouldn't be sickening to be the person who looks down in the newspaper and discovers NASA cannot launch an entire fricking mission because you came up short on date calculations? Come on, I coded this crap in my first month as a programmer in tall buildings.

OTOH <gasp> at least they identified the constraint. Can you imagine losing another shuttle over that? :(

kt

--
Algebra: http://www.tilton-technology.com/LispNycAlgebra1.htm

"Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty-five
years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally
won out over it." -- Elwood P. Dowd

"I'll say I'm losing my grip, and it feels terrific."
-- Smiling husband to scowling wife, New Yorker cartoon
.

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