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No warranties, expressed or implied, guarantee that the programs or source code contained in this work are free from error, are consistent with any standard of merchantability, or will meet the requirements for any application. They should not be used for solving problems whose incorrect solution could cause injury to a person or loss of property. The author and publisher disclaim all liability for direct or consequential damage resulting from use of the programs or source code. |
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Our goal in writing the Standard C Date/Time Library (SCDTL) is to provide a unified and standard library of C routines for dealing with the most common class of computer code date and time. |
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Two hundred years ago, America suffered from a shortage of durable and consumer goods. Everything was produced by hand, and the few skilled tradesmen job-hopped continuously. Eli Whitney changed all that with his "uniformity system." Whitney's idea was radically simple standard parts produced by standard methods. The result was interchangeable parts, the factory system, and an enormous increase in productivity which created the modern world. |
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Today, we still face the analogous scenario in software handicraft production methods, which are completely inadequate to the situational demand. The solution, mutatis mutandis is standard parts produced by standard methods. |
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It is time that we begin to change our software production methods. We desperately need standard parts. There is no better place to begin than with date/time code, the largest single assortment of nuts and screws available to us. |
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Although I hope that SCDTL is a solid beginning toward creating a set of standard parts for date and time applications, I do not entertain the notion that it is the last word. I expressly encourage readers to advise me of errors, bugs, potential problems, and limitations they may encounter. I encourage readers to write me with their suggestions to produce better solutions, to expand upon the existing work, and to produce solutions to new problems. |
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Any material that appears in subsequent editions, if used, will be credited to the contributor. SCDTL has many contributors. I should like to see more. |
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I acknowledge, more or less in chronological order, the contributions of the several people who have contributed materially to this work. |
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First, I thank Maria Ramos, whose indefatigable work at the Pioneer Memorial Library in Fredericksburg, Texas, proved so invaluable on so many occasions. Maria tracked many a "tome of forgotten lore" through the intricacies of the Interlibrary Loan system, converting a small local library into a pipeline to the larger world, while tolerating my vague and varied requests with good humor. Thanks, Maria. |
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