[Info-vax] date comparison format from a program

[Dave Froble]

On 5/21/2019 1:14 AM, gérard Calliet wrote:
> Le 21/05/2019 à 04:15, Dave Froble a écrit :
>> On 5/20/2019 6:44 PM, Hans Bachner wrote:
>>> gérard Calliet schrieb am 20.05.2019 um 18:44:
>>>> [...]
>>>> Yes, but they are totally isolated platforms, and everything (software
>>>> and hardware) on it has been certified at the time of the development.
>>>>
>>>> They have now to garanty a maintenance in operational condition.
>>>> Reverse
>>>> engineering on VAX CPU board, validation of parts are the major work.
>>>> [...]
>>>
>>> Do they want to build spare CPU boards?
>>>
>>> Actually, reverse engineering of various VAX main boards has already
>>> been done, but the result is software... check out CHARON-VAX, whether
>>> it fulfills your certification requirements.
>>>
>>> At least, the software passed the original DEC hardware diagnostic
>>> routines.
>>>
>>> Hope this helps,
>>> Hans.
>>
>> I think the key word here is "certification".
>>
>> Someone has certified particular HW, running a particular version of
>> VMS, and some application(s).
>>
> It's exactly the case.
>> Doesn't do any good to mention out of date OS, old HW, VAX C,
>> emulators, security, and just about anything else.
> Right, anything new is impossible.

Actually, that is a choice, not reality.  And it's a choice that I do 
not agree with.  Not that that matters.

Now, I may be wrong, same old territory for me, but, if I was designing 
something that had to last for a long time, I'd design it with "black 
boxes" that perform a task, but can be replaced (inside the box) with 
newer stuff.  As long as the "box" did what it was suppose to do, so 
what?  More viable, probably cheaper.

Yeah, there can be issues, but losing some irreplaceable component is 
also an issue.

>> Building VAX CPU boards is really way out there.  But, if it's the
>> job, then it's the job.
> They tried that in the beginnings (1990s), thinking just replacing parts
> in CPU boards could help sometime... And it was not worth it: these CPU
> boards don't bug for decades.

Tell me about it.  VAXstation 4000 stuff is what, 1990?  That's almost 
30 years.  Still running here.

The N-VAX chip could have evolved into a system-on-a-chip and been dirt 
cheap to produce in the millions.  That would have been plenty good for 
many things.  Better than that x86 POS.


-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      E-Mail: davef at tsoft-inc.com
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA  15486