[LEAPSECS] Merry Christmas!

[Rob Seaman]

Finally!  All will be happy to know that I've dug back to the  
beginning of this morning's crop of messages :-)

Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:


> But if you do not make a credible case that something is being  

> overlooked, nobody is going to waste time on your proposed process  

> to look for things that are being overlooked.


I work in the astronomical community.  Many long, long years ago, when  
this issue was first broached, we started vetting issues pertaining to  
astronomy.  This change would surely cost us millions of dollars.   
Criticizing the one group who have taken the time to look is rather  
brazen.

You have mentioned planes, trains, shipping, power and military  
applications.  I gather you have experience with these projects.   
Somehow it is my job to vet your systems from the outside?  At the  
very least, grep the source for terms like "DUT1" to search for the  
Y2K-like issues.  This won't catch the implicit dependencies on Earth  
orientation.  Perhaps there are none.  If so, a risk analysis should  
be straightforward.  That isn't an argument to skip it.


> Proposing red tape commisions in the absence of evidence of their  

> need, is a widely recognized stalling tactic.


Again, I find it truly bizarre that after all my previous rhetorical  
gambits, the one topic that gets a rise out of the group is a simple,  
heartfelt suggestion that proper system engineering practices be  
followed.

	System engineering != red tape

Far from stalling, separating problem definition and requirements  
discovery from a tradeoff study of possible solutions is the fastest  
way to proceed.

Rob