std-mumps@plus5.UUCP (10/08/84)
From: Hokey (The Moderator) <std-mumps-request@plus5.UUCP>
Ansi MUMPS discussions Saturday, 6 Oct 1984 Volume 1 : Issue 3
Today's topics:
[Topics for] mod.std.mumps
Next meeting of X11.1
Standardization process for X11.1
Grapevine
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Date: Fri, 5 Oct 84 12:39:39 edt
From: cornell!rossiter (David Rossiter)
Subject: mod.std.mumps
Thanks for starting this newsgroup. How about giving us something to
talk about? For starters I'd suggest:
1) a posting explaining how the standardization process works for MUMPS
[see later in the digest. Hokey]
2) a listing of the current type A proposals
[I'll get them. Hokey]
3) a listing of current topics of interest that haven't yet been made
into formal proposals.
This way, you can get discussion while it still does everyone some good.
As for my (personal) interest in MUMPS: I was a MUMPS programmer for
5+ years at the NY State College of Veterinary Medicine; the last two
years I was system manager. My director there was John Lewkowicz, who
(as you know) is on the Committee. Now I'm a graduate student at Cornell,
but my interest in MUMPS remains. Many a time our group would discuss
some part of the proposed standard in detail, and I worked closely with
Lewkowicz in formulating his current networking proposal.
A final question - what will your criteria be for posting items (since
you are the moderator)?
[ I'm mellow; you send it and I'll post it. I may rewrite a Subject:
line and possibly edit out Long Winded Drivel, but that's about it.
On second thought, I may edit out chaff; the Long Winded Drivel stays.
I will probably segregate discussions about related topics into different
postings if we get the volume. I may go to individual postings instead
of this current format, depending on feedback (plus5!bob HATES digests).
I would hope to have on-line copies of all relevant MDC documents so they
could be mailed or posted as the need arises. Hokey]
Again, I think this could be a real service to the MUMPS community.
David Rossiter / CS Dep't / Cornell University / Ithaca / NY / 14850 / USA
rossiter@cornell.UUCP, rossiter@Cornell.ARPA
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Date: Sat Oct 6 23:22:09 CDT 1984
From: hokey@plus5
Subject: Next meeting of X11.1
The next meeting of the Mumps Development Committee (ANSI X11.1) will be
on Thursday and Friday, November 8 and 9 in the Humphrey Office Building
(H&HS) in Washington DC (same building as usual, different room). As soon
as I find out more, I'll pass the information along. Thomas Salander will
be sending out the next information kit later in the week.
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Date: Sat Oct 6 23:23:27 CDT 1984
From: hokey@plus5
Subject: Standardization process for X11.1
I'm not really sure about all the gory details, but ANSI X11 standards are
approved by canvass vote instead of by committee vote (as in X3 committees).
The draft standard is prepared and the committee decides when to submit the
draft to a "canvass list" (expected to be diverse). Comments and votes are
received and addressed, and Eventually, (if all goes well), ANSI blesses
everybody's (significant majority) thoughts and a new standard is announced.
In general, modifications which are expected to be included in the next
proposed standard are Type A releases of the Mumps Development Committee
(MDC). Most vendors implement these items immediately. These items usually
come from Subcommittee #1 (Language Standard). Sub 1 is where all the
"fun" issues are discussed. These issues may end up as Type B (under
consideration) or Type A (We Really Like this and want it in the language).
Sub 1 takes its Type A releases and votes on submitting the issues to the
full MDC for inclusion as a Type A release of the MDC.
Other Subcommittees include #2 (Implementation) and #3 (Documentation).
There are one or two other subcommittees, dealing with the Constitution
of the MDC and, I believe, another for Membership.
Please excuse any errors. I don't have all the supporting documentation
neccessary for a better description.
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Date: Sat Oct 7 00:01:17 CDT 1984
From: hokey@plus5.UUCP
Subject: Grapevine
Jack Bowie (DEC) told me to expect an electronic copy of a "symbol table model"
to be used for discussing symbol table issues such as the pending discussion
on parameter passing and extrinsic variables.
Thomas Salander may actually get access to the net Real Soon Now. He
says one of Steve Tolchin's (I hope I spelled it right) Unix machines
is in Thomas' (I hope I apostrophized correctly) machine room, and he
should be able to get a login. Thomas currently has Lots of documents
online, but they are not in *roff compatible form.
Peter Kuzmak (Operational and Clinical Systems at Johns Hopkins Hospital)
just sent out a proposal for $QUERY, "a MUMPS function that would search
named subscripted storage and return a pointer to the next node that passes
a given criteria." This would be of great use in building relational
queries. I believe the gist of the proposal is to find the next node in
which the data value matches a specified pattern. The query can be
restricted to specified subscripts and the depth of the search can also
be controlled.
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End of Ansi MUMPS discussions
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--
Hokey ..ihnp4!plus5!hokey
314-725-9492