NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/comp/os/vms/20237

Internet Message Format | 1993-01-03 | 3.3 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!news.claremont.edu!nntp-server.caltech.edu!SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU!CARL
From: [e-mail] (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: HELP!!! Security problem for gurus.
Date: 3 Jan 1993 09:33:12 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Lines: 44
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>,<[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Jeffrey L. Sue) writes:
=Good information... where is this documented?  That was the point of the
=original flame:  that others don't take the time to look it up in the
=documentation.  Again, you are correct that I don't know what I'm talking
=about here, which is why the question was raised, don't you think?  Questions
=are otherwise known as queries, and often used (at least by me) to find out
=information not known.  Remember, I did look through the documentation and
=this info was *not* easily found.

It's not (as best I know) directly documented.  However, the $ASCTIM and
$BINTIM system services are documented in the System Services Reference Manual
(though the on-line HELP information is sufficient).  Nowhere in this thread
have I even suggested that it was a matter of someone not taking the time to
look this up (other than by reading info-vax/comp.os.vms).  I pointed out that
you had to pick a time in the past in order to be safe.  I'd've thought that
most people using VMS would've been able to take that hint, the external file
names, the dates displayed by the MAIL utility, and the on-line help for the
system time services, and figure it out themselves (except, of course, for what
the high-order word of the low-order longword was there for).

=>=Gee... some of us have *real* jobs, some of which doesn't even apply to VMS.
=>=Actually, I know quite a bit of how VMS works, however little things like
=>=how MAIL determines what "bignumber" to use is of little value to me.
=>
=>I see.  You just couldn't be troubled to pay attention this issue last came up
=>(a couple of weeks ago) and was discussed in detail?
=
=Alas, scanning for information on Internet (or elsewhere) is not what I
=get paid for most - it's results for my customers.  If I don't get to
=the news services for a few days a bunch of messages get marked as read
=due to the lack of time... and I still never catch up.

But COMP.OS.VMS is a good way to learn enough about VMS to be able to provide
better results for your customers.  With a halfway decent news reader, you
ought to be able to find the threads that might be of interest to you
relatively quickly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: [e-mail] | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.