Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sm.unisys.com!csun!csuchico!robin
From: robin@csuchico.uucp (Robin Goldstone)
Newsgroups: comp.os.rsts
Subject: Re: Anyone out there?
Summary: RSTS gripes
Keywords: rsts
Message-ID: <1989Mar27.113637.25101@csuchico.uucp>
Date: 27 Mar 89 19:36:36 GMT
References: <1245@sagepub.UUCP> <1158@oswego.Oswego.EDU>
Organization: California State University, Chico
Lines: 35

In article <1158@oswego.Oswego.EDU>, beadel@penelope.oswego.edu (Edward F. Beadel Jr.) writes:
> 
> 	I will attempt to get any problems questions forwarded to the
> DECUS RSTS SIG steering committee and the RSTS/E development group.
> 
> 	I am a member of the DECUS RSTS SIG steering committee.
> 

I have started a collection of RSTS problems since going to 9.5 from 8.0
in January.  We do not have DEC support unfortunately so there is no one
for me to pass these problems along to.  When I first did the upgrade I
had some problems and DEC gave me a 'courtesy call' into their software
support center in Colorado. 

One of the things I mentioned to them was a change in the representation
of "Creation Date" on a file.  At 8.0 (and in general in my opinion) the
creation date of a file represented the date that a file was first
created.  That date should never change. At 9.5 however, I noticed that
every time a file was modified, its creation date was updated.  I asked
DEC about this and they said it is supposed to be this way because every
time you update a file you really replace that file with a new version
which has just been created.  I think this is a bunch of bullsh*t.  The
file creation date needs to reflect the date that the file was first
created or it is a useless piece of information.

I have other gripes about RSTS 9.5 including bugs in LOGIN and LOGOUT,
a bug in DecMail 3.1 and numerous concerns regarding implementation of DECnet 
4.0. I will get more specific if anyone expresses interest.  But for now,
I would just like to know if anyone agrees with DEC's logic regarding
file creation date.  I know of no other system that treats creation
date in this manner. 

Robin Goldstone, Systems Software Specialist
California State University, Chico  Computer Center
robin@csuchico.edu