| Lists: | pgsql-docs |
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| From: | "Merlin Moncure" <merlin(dot)moncure(at)rcsonline(dot)com> |
|---|---|
| To: | <pgsql-docs(at)postgresql(dot)org> |
| Subject: | allballs |
| Date: | 2005-01-24 19:28:48 |
| Message-ID: | 6EE64EF3AB31D5448D0007DD34EEB3412A75D9@Herge.rcsinc.local |
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| Lists: | pgsql-docs |
I have to ask this...why is 'allballs' accepted as a literal for time?
I checked the dictionary and wikipedia and couldn't find a reason why.
Merlin
| From: | Michael Fuhr <mike(at)fuhr(dot)org> |
|---|---|
| To: | Merlin Moncure <merlin(dot)moncure(at)rcsonline(dot)com> |
| Cc: | pgsql-docs(at)postgresql(dot)org |
| Subject: | Re: allballs |
| Date: | 2005-01-24 20:06:45 |
| Message-ID: | 20050124200645.GA6126@winnie.fuhr.org |
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On Mon, Jan 24, 2005 at 02:28:48PM -0500, Merlin Moncure wrote:
> I have to ask this...why is 'allballs' accepted as a literal for time?
"Allballs" is slang for "all zeros" because zeros look like balls.
You hear it sometimes in environments that use a 24-hour clock
(communications, military, etc.). Here's an example:
http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/bsf2-3.html
I don't know that "allballs" is specified in any standard, so I
suspect that somebody who used the term added it to PostgreSQL
(or whatever it was called at the time) for convenience.
--
Michael Fuhr
http://www.fuhr.org/~mfuhr/
| From: | Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> |
|---|---|
| To: | Michael Fuhr <mike(at)fuhr(dot)org> |
| Cc: | Merlin Moncure <merlin(dot)moncure(at)rcsonline(dot)com>, pgsql-docs(at)postgresql(dot)org |
| Subject: | Re: allballs |
| Date: | 2005-01-24 20:18:56 |
| Message-ID: | 24526.1106597936@sss.pgh.pa.us |
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Michael Fuhr <mike(at)fuhr(dot)org> writes:
> "Allballs" is slang for "all zeros" because zeros look like balls.
> You hear it sometimes in environments that use a 24-hour clock
> (communications, military, etc.). Here's an example:
> http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/bsf2-3.html
> I don't know that "allballs" is specified in any standard, so I
> suspect that somebody who used the term added it to PostgreSQL
> (or whatever it was called at the time) for convenience.
I'm sure it isn't in any SQL standard ;-). Tom Lockhart is doubtless
responsible for it being in our code; I suppose he put it in because it
is in reasonably common use at JPL.
regards, tom lane
| From: | elein(at)varlena(dot)com (elein) |
|---|---|
| To: | Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> |
| Cc: | Michael Fuhr <mike(at)fuhr(dot)org>, Merlin Moncure <merlin(dot)moncure(at)rcsonline(dot)com>, pgsql-docs(at)postgresql(dot)org |
| Subject: | Re: allballs |
| Date: | 2005-01-24 21:08:54 |
| Message-ID: | 20050124210853.GD15269@varlena.com |
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| Lists: | pgsql-docs |
On Mon, Jan 24, 2005 at 03:18:56PM -0500, Tom Lane wrote:
> Michael Fuhr <mike(at)fuhr(dot)org> writes:
> > "Allballs" is slang for "all zeros" because zeros look like balls.
> > You hear it sometimes in environments that use a 24-hour clock
> > (communications, military, etc.). Here's an example:
>
> > http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/bsf2-3.html
>
> > I don't know that "allballs" is specified in any standard, so I
> > suspect that somebody who used the term added it to PostgreSQL
> > (or whatever it was called at the time) for convenience.
>
> I'm sure it isn't in any SQL standard ;-). Tom Lockhart is doubtless
> responsible for it being in our code; I suppose he put it in because it
> is in reasonably common use at JPL.
>
> regards, tom lane
Actually I think all of the weird psuedonyms for 000000 were in
postgres very early on. I remember seeing them in illustra
and we branched postgres in 1992. So I blame funky grad students.
--elein