Re: VMS

From	Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid>
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.misc
Subject	Re: VMS
Date	2025-07-27 10:55 +0100
Organization	terraraq NNTP server
Message-ID	<wwvbjp6ot3r.fsf@LkoBDZeT.terraraq.uk> (permalink)
References	(16 earlier) <105v6t4$1rec2$1@dont-email.me> <20250725103940.0000789d@gmail.com> <106317o$1ghot$1@dont-email.me> <10631no$1fb33$2@dont-email.me> <1064r6l$2s0gs$2@dont-email.me>

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Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> writes:
> On 7/26/25 18:02, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>> On 26/07/2025 17:54, Pancho wrote:
>>> On 7/25/25 18:39, John Ames wrote:

>>>> Funny you should cite bridge-building. As a friend once observed:
>>>>
>>>> "The Romans made their architects stand under the arches they
>>>> designed while the keystone was put in place and the supports
>>>> removed.
>>>>
>>>> The Romans built bridges that stayed the #&@! up."

I think this is an urban myth. Naming a Roman-era work that describes
the practice would settle the question.

>>> AIUI, The reason Roman bridges stayed put, is that they massively
>>> over specced. I don't think they really understood enough to make
>>> appropriate structures for the required load.
>>
>> The same is true of much Victorian engineering.
>> Lacking the detailed mathematical analyses it was easier to just
>> make it bloody big, and thank god they did. London's main sewer is
>> still able to cope with the load.
>> On the other hand, many structures have failed. We only see the ones
>> that didn't fall down.

Yes, I expect lots of Roman bridges collapsed...

> A bit like the old software accounting systems. I don't know why they
> are reliable, but I doubt it is just down to good design.

The longer it’s been around, the longer it’s had for the bugs to be
found and fixed. Old software also usually does fewer and simpler things
than more recent software, so less room to contain bugs.

-- 
https://www.greenend.org.uk/rjk/

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Re: VMS Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2025-07-20 14:37 +0000
  Re: VMS Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-21 08:42 +0100
    Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-21 09:12 -0700
      Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-21 18:44 +0100
      Re: VMS Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-21 20:47 +0100
        Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-21 13:31 -0700
          Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-23 07:22 +0100
            Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-23 08:04 -0700
              Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-23 08:44 -0700
              Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-23 20:04 +0100
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-23 22:47 +0000
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-24 09:56 +0100
              Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-23 21:53 +0100
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-23 14:28 -0700
                Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-24 00:29 +0100
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-24 08:05 -0700
                Re: VMS Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-24 21:51 +0100
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-24 15:06 -0700
                Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-25 07:06 +0100
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-25 10:39 -0700
                Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-26 17:54 +0100
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-26 18:02 +0100
                Re: VMS Robert Riches <spamtrap42@jacob21819.net> - 2025-07-27 04:04 +0000
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-27 01:50 -0400
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-27 12:07 +0100
                Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-27 10:23 +0100
                Re: VMS Richard Kettlewell <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-27 10:55 +0100
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-27 21:23 -0400
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-28 04:45 +0000
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-28 02:14 -0400
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-28 13:48 +0100
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-28 20:38 +0000
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-28 20:32 +0000
                Re: VMS Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-07-28 14:17 -0700
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-29 05:08 +0000
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-28 13:44 +0100
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-28 13:39 +0100
                Re: VMS Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-07-29 01:03 +0000
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-29 05:29 +0000
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-29 11:42 +0100
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-29 19:16 +0000
                Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-29 12:10 +0100
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-29 13:08 +0100
                Re: VMS Bobbie Sellers <bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com> - 2025-07-29 09:51 -0700
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-29 18:53 +0000
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-29 04:51 -0400
                Re: VMS Rich <rich@example.invalid> - 2025-07-29 13:32 +0000
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-28 09:22 -0700
                Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-27 12:11 +0100
                Re: VMS Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-07-27 22:02 +0000
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-28 04:58 +0000
                Re: VMS Stéphane CARPENTIER <sc@fiat-linux.fr> - 2025-08-01 19:13 +0000
                Re: VMS Lew Pitcher <lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca> - 2025-08-01 20:38 +0000
                Re: VMS Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-08-02 00:01 +0000
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-08-02 02:24 -0400
                Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-08-02 11:34 +0100
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-08-02 21:02 -0400
                Re: VMS Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-08-03 02:08 +0000
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-08-03 01:00 -0400
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-27 21:31 -0400
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-28 05:03 +0000
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-28 02:19 -0400
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-27 21:09 -0400
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-28 10:17 -0700
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-28 20:46 +0000
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-28 14:34 -0700
                Re: VMS Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2025-07-28 16:34 +0000
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-28 20:48 +0000
                Re: VMS Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-07-29 01:00 +0000
                Re: VMS Pancho <Pancho.Jones@protonmail.com> - 2025-07-29 10:07 +0100
                Re: VMS Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-07-29 23:05 +0000
                Re: VMS c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-07-30 02:43 -0400
                Re: VMS Andreas Eder <a_eder_muc@web.de> - 2025-08-02 18:11 +0200
                Re: VMS Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2025-07-24 14:42 +0000
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-24 18:05 +0000
                Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-24 11:14 -0700
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-24 23:10 +0000
                Re: VMS Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-07-24 21:16 +0000
                Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-24 23:21 +0000
        Re: VMS John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2025-07-21 14:05 -0700
        Re: VMS Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2025-07-21 21:14 +0000
          Re: VMS The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-07-21 22:19 +0100
          Re: VMS rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-07-22 02:10 +0000

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