Number: 1562

Date: 28-Jun-84 15':02':32

Submitter: Sannella.PA

Source: JonL.pa

Subject: Need better mechanism than MAKESYSDATE for identifying sysouts

Lisp Version: 

Description: '
Date': 13 Jun 84 14':54 PDT'
From': JonL.pa'
Subject': Ascertaining the "parentage" of a problem  '
In-reply-to': Kiewiet.pasa''s message of 13 Jun 84 09':30 PDT'
To': Kiewiet.pasa'
cc': 1100Support.pasa, LispSupport.pa'
'
As a first-order approximation, the value of MAKESYSDATE identifies a sysout (it''s this value generally in the logo window title).  However, there are numerous flaws with this':'
'
  1) A large share of bugs occur in rapidly-developing software; while we do need to distinguish a Chorus user from a Fugue one (sigh, and a Fugue.3 one from a Fugue.6 one), the alpha and beta test sites frequently get intermediate-state versions for which the creationdate of the problem-causing source file is the only useful bit.  True, not every problem can be so isolated down to the source file, but that''s almost always the case with Library and LispUsers files.'
'
2) The actual MAKESYSDATE is the version distributed to customers is frequently 1 to 20 days later than the date on the sysout we have at PARC, and which we ship to you for release.;  this anomoly is a "feature" of MAKESYSDATE.  In fact, if a customer himself calls MAKESYS, the the subsequent MAKESYSDATE is that of his own private sysout, thereby being essentially useless for tracking down bugs.'
'
Perhaps there will be more rigid coordination in the future between our sysout dates up here, and the distributed versions, but I don''t see that as the solution to the "parentage" problem.  We clearly need a more definite track on the source files involved in the situation of a bug.'
'
-- JonL --'
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Workaround: 

Test Case: 

Edit-By: 

Edit-Date: 28-Jun-84 15':00':51

Attn: Sannella

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Disposition: 

System: Programming Environment

Subsystem: Other

Machine: 

Disk: 

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Difficulty: Hard

Frequency: Everytime

Impact: Annoying

Priority: Perhaps

Status: Open

Problem Type: Documentation

Source Files: