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From: gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: 64 bits for times....
Message-ID: <3300165@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 27 Aug 90 18:24:00 GMT
References: <11187@alice.UUCP>
Lines: 17
Nf-ID: #R:alice.UUCP:11187:m.cs.uiuc.edu:3300165:000:734
Nf-From: m.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies    Aug 27 13:24:00 1990


I think it is rather ridiculous for the ISO to support timing accuracy
in the nanoseconds for pre-history.  Until very recently, we couldn't
measure time in hundredths of a second -- why would we want to measure
time in nanoseconds back into prehistory?  What an idiotic idea.

Also, tell me when it will be possible to synchronize all the computer
clocks with a nano-second accuracy atomic clock.  How will such a
clock be reset later?

My conclusion:  ISO should specify a nanosecond relative timer, and a
much coaser absolute timer (like milliseconds).


Don W. Gillies, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Illinois
1304 W. Springfield, Urbana, Ill 61801      
ARPA: gillies@cs.uiuc.edu   UUCP: {uunet,harvard}!uiucdcs!gillies