According to Wirt Atmar:
>
> Richard Gambrell writes:
>
> >Could someone comment on the date functions, if any, in
> >Posix? I am very concerned that MPE and CI functions "reinvent
> >the wheel." We should use Posix functions when and where
> >they exist, in my opinion.
>
> Let me politely but vigorously disagree with Richard. Richard has been
> posting to this list often -- and if you do that, sooner or later somebody is
> inevitably going to vigorously disagree with something you said. And because
> it is inevitable, Richard should take no offense at what I am about to say,
> but I could not disagree more.
>
> I consider Posix to be an aberration of design that can have no real future.
> It is a bastardization that must ultimately disappear from the HP3000 or it
> will kill it. If you really wanted a Unix system, then you should have bought
> Unix. Unix cannot be slowly blended into MPE in a series of half measures
> taken over a period of years. It is a design path that will, in the end,
> satisfy no one -- and it will very likely ultimately kill the HP3000. The
> continued enhancement of Posix-like features at the expense of the
> simplicity, elegance of design, and traditional ease of use of the HP3000
> will defeat the very nature and values that attracted so many of the people
> on this list to the machine 10 to 15 years ago.
>
[much very interesting stuff deleted]
 
If only others that disagree with me would be so nice and literate about it.
If I may, can I agree with your disagreement with my prior point?
 
The issue I intended to raise is reinventing the wheel, not the place of MPE.
I overstated my point (as I am wont to do), If posix has good date
functions (not that I'm any expert on it, my post was meant to ask that
question), then it would seem good programming to use them. If this helps us
get the date functions needed sooner, faster, and more reliably, then it will
help us to deliver the simplity and reliability of use that is our common goal.
 
I did not intend to suggest that we take the posix functions without thought or
review and follow the posix standard just because it is there, but rather to
live with it, making use of it when reasonable and satisfactory, but not
compromising needlessly.
 
--
-- - - - Speaking for myself and not necessarily anybody else - - - - - -
Richard Gambrell        | Internet: [log in to unmask]
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