[Info-vax] Time change

Tue Mar 10 20:00:20 EDT 2009

On Mar 10, 2:09 pm, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> In article <1c555380-f7e1-49e9-9773-1109df486... at e24g2000vbe.googlegroups.com>,
>         AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
>
>
>
> > On Mar 9, 5:30 pm, "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilber... at comcast.net>
> > wrote:
> >> Michael Moroney wrote:
> >> > JF Mezei <jfmezei.spam... at vaxination.ca> writes:
>
> >> >> How is this implemented in alpha ? Does the system do a glorified
> >> >> SYS$SETTIM to call a routine to execute at the next scheduled time
> >> >> change ?  or is there some other type of mechanism that allows VMS to
> >> >> schedule some event in the long term ?
>
> >> >> Also, if I have an alpha that was shutdown during this time, when it
> >> >> next boots, will it automatically change its time ?
>
> >> > I had to deal with this during the last time change, to try to prevent
> >> > the setback from happening automatically with software that really
> >> > couldn't deal with it.
>
> >> > (the following is true only if SYSGEN AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV is set to 1, and
> >> > things like NTP time synch aren't enabled. What's the setting on your
> >> > VAX?)
>
> >> > The JOB_CONTROL process has a $SETIMR scheduled to expire at the time of
> >> > the time change, and when it does, JOB_CONTROL sets the time according to
> >> > the time zone rules.  It reads the info in when it starts up, and it has
> >> > enough smarts to set the time right then if the time change happened when
> >> > the system was down.
>
> >> > $ ANALYZE/SYSTEM
> >> > SDA> SET PROCESS/IND=E   !JOB_CONTROL
> >> > SDA> SHOW TQE
> >> > Timer queue entries
> >> > -------------------
>
> >> >   TQE                                                             PID/
> >> > address                 Expiration Time                 Type    routine
> >> > --------   -----------------------------------------   ------   --------
> >> > ...
> >> > 880EA380   00A93E1F.7B714530  1-NOV-2009 02:00:00.00   TSA---   0001000E   JOB_CONTROL
> >> > SDA>
>
> >> > Next time change will take place Nov 1 at 2:00 AM.
>
> >> > You may notice that $SETIMR can schedule events to happen thousands of
> >> > years in the future, if you can manage to keep your system up that long.
>
> >> > Aside: Were you guys in Canada supposed to change your time this last
> >> > weekend?  The date of the time change was recently changed.
>
> >> It's politics as usual.  Changing the date of the time change is a
> >> highly visible means for the politicians to show the people that they
> >> are actually doing something!  ;-)
> > Well, the recent fall-back change in the US was made because of the
> > Halloween lobby. I don't know what moved the spring-ahead up, though.
> > Might have to do with saving energy.
>
> Yeah, that's what we keep hearing and it makes about as much sense as the
> notion that Ben Franklin invented it to conserve candles.  I start my day
> before the sun comes up and end my day after the sun goes down.  Where, in
> that window, the real daylight appears has no effect on how much time I
> spend using artificial lights.
>
> bill
>
> --
> Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
> billg... at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
> University of Scranton   |Ú
> Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>

Bill,

Not everyone works like you do. I don't think it was only your
productivity that Congress, and whoever else was involved, was
concerned with.

Anyway, I think the reason given by some (for the spring-ahead,
anyway, as I think it was the "Halloween lobby" that pushed for that
big one-week delay in returning to Standard Time) is to save energy,
whether it does or doesn't. In fact, I've read some claiming it
increases energy consumption. I've also read claims that it reduces
the overall number of highway deaths. AGAIN, I DO NOT CLAIM ANY OF
THESE REASONS ARE TRUE, ONLY THAT THEY ARE WHAT ARE *****CLAIMED*****
BY SOME.

Another thing to be careful about is that there are TWO issues here:

1.) DST

2.) The recent CHANGE in the DST rules.

I hope it is clear by context when I refer to one or the other. If it
isn't, too bad.

Another reason I've read about is that businesses like DST because
they think (whether or not this is true!) people will shop more in the
evening if the sun is still up. Again, I'M NOT CLAIMING THIS IS TRUE.
I'M JUST SAYING THIS IS ONE REASON I READ ABOUT. OK?

According to <http://tf.nist.gov/general/dst.htm>:

"The rules for DST changed in 2007 for the first time in more than 20
years. The new changes were enacted by the Energy Policy Act of 2005,
which extended the length of DST in the interest of reducing energy
consumption. The new rules increased the duration of DST by about one
month. DST will now be in effect for 238 days, or about 65% of the
year, although Congress retained the right to revert to the prior law
should the change prove unpopular or if energy savings are not
significant."

Just in case it hasn't sunk in yet: I AM NOT CLAIMING ANY OF THE
REASONS PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN FOR HAVING DST ARE TRUE. THE PEOPLE MAKING
THESE CLAIMS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR CONTENT. OKAY?

AEF