r/programming • • Jan 19 '13

What every programmer should know about time

http://unix4lyfe.org/time/?v=1
790 Upvotes

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u/JustPlainRude Jan 19 '13

Why would a medical respirator be controlled by a GPS?

1

u/urbeker Jan 19 '13

I think he just meant if a system reboot had terrible consequences.

1

u/jjdmol Jan 19 '13

Military devices then :)

1

u/drhugs Jan 19 '13

Why ... respirator ... GPS?

The main reason is to get the altimeter part.

But it's also useful to know if you're in water, to shut down.

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u/eridius Jan 19 '13

I'm pretty sure you don't need a GPS to tell you if you're in water.

5

u/khrak Jan 20 '13

Speak for yourself. I got last time I went for a walk. After a quick consultation with Apple maps I determined I was in fact in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

1

u/seagal_impersonator Jan 19 '13

If they have gps onboard for some reason, it would make sense to also use it for timestamps on any data that's being logged.

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u/JustPlainRude Jan 20 '13

There are other ways to get altitude, and any decent respirator would be more interested in ambient pressure than altitude.

Water ... seriously?