[ntp:hackers] computer timescales assimilated

Dave Hart davehart at davehart.com
Sun Feb 22 14:01:42 UTC 2009


Assuming you could use a laugh, you might glance at the
table on

http://icu-project.org/userguide/universalTimeScale.html

Now the Universal Time Scale nomenclature is a prime example
of why programmers need effective PR and marketing people
sometimes.  The perspective is decidedly biased from a PC
perspective without much sense of history.  My first
reaction when I stumbled across the page was interest, then
disappointment that no NTP timescales were listed.

I'm guessing el otro Dave can name at least as many more
timescales he'd have included in a similar list, but I'm
_not_ asking him to.  I can dig.

If you follow the selection criteria they used to settle on
their "universal" timescale and write a suite of conversions
around, I think a pretty good case could be made they missed
their would-be true love, typospec, er, timespec built on
64-bit time_t.  29000 BC to 29000 AD?  We're only beginning
to timestamp the past... 

I will say this for the ICU project webpage:  I understand
what they intend by "epoch" every time they say it.  It's
what I've always (apparently narrowly) thought "epoch"
meant, namely, the date a given timescale is defined in
terms of.  Forgive me if I am confused occasionally by more
creative uses I've stumbled across in the little red book
with the big price and various mail/news archives.

I mentioned once recently I was afraid to find out the
prices on Meinberg's gear because in my experience if I had
to ask I would usually laugh at the response.  I notice
there is no price printed on das buch, meaning that, I
suppose, the cost is a function of time.

Cheers,
Dave Hart

cc: mills at udel.edu


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