On Thu, Apr 01, 2010 at 05:47:37PM +1100, Jeff Waugh wrote: > <quote who="Nick Andrew"> > > > On Thu, Apr 01, 2010 at 03:27:23PM +1100, Jeff Waugh wrote: > > > Not sure what Linux has to do with this -- there's far more going on > > > (with dates and times especially) in a complex stack of software than > > > just the OS. Consider the amount of legacy software and multi-system > > > integration involved in a bank's computing environment. > > > > I see it more like "software superstition". Bad things might happen - we > > don't know, we won't (or can't) test it, and we won't (or can't) fix it. > > > > > Sorry dudes, but this just sounds like Open Source snootiness from the > > > small end of town. > > > > I want my bank to run on logic, not voodoo. > > ... and you say this with broad knowledge of the many and varied systems in > place? There may just be an entirely sensible reason why one or more pieces > of the system, at this point in its evolution, requires hand-holding or no > external access during a DST changeover.
The bank either knows that their system won't work during the DST changeover, or they suspect that it won't work. I suspect it's the latter, but either situation is a worry. DST changeover is predictable. Well, it's predictable that it will happen at some time, but the changeover date itself varies according to the whim of politicians. The bank should have expected DST, and built their systems to cope when it changes. On the other hand, if they don't know that something will break and just suspect it, that's a worry because the bank should understand very deeply how their systems work, to achieve maximum reliability. On the third hand, hearing about how they can't manage a simple DNS change, getting DST right is probably the least of their worries. > "Whee, Linux!" is not an answer if > it's an application problem - and that's being polite. "Whee, Linux!" might > not be a useful answer for plenty of other reasons. Yep, and I never said it was. Nick. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
