Hubble Telescope uses OS/2?
David T. Johnson
made to the Hubble Space Telescope by astronauts from the space shuttle
"Discovery." The CPU was upgraded from an Intel 386 to a 486. Both of
these microprocessors predate the Pentiums, Pentium II, Pentium III, K6,
K6-2, K6-III, and Athlons in widespread use today. There are three
redundant computers which are each being upgraded. The RAM in each is
being upgraded from 128K to 2 MB.
"Now that doesn't sound like much in days
where everybody talks about 64 megabytes or
128 megabytes," Hubble program manager
John Campbell said. "But you should keep in
mind that we don't do Windows and we don't
have disks and we don't do Internet, and the
old computer only had a tenth of a megabyte,
so this is a major increase in capability."
He goes on to say:
Laptops taken into space by astronauts crash
at least once or twice a day because of
radiation hits. That is unacceptable for the
Hubble, which needs a computer operating
"day in and day out," Campbell said.
(Makes you wonder what OS the laptops use...) But...the Hubble
computers are x86 compatible, highly reliable, and now have 2MB of
memory. About the only x86 OSs available at the time of the Hubble
launch were MS-DOS and OS/2. I find it difficult to believe that NASA
is using MS-DOS with 2 MB of memory and its flaky expanded and extended
memory addressing schemes. So my speculation is that Hubble is using a
version of OS/2. You can read more at:
Jack Troughton
<djoh...@isomedia.com> wrote:
Ūlaunch were MS-DOS and OS/2. I find it difficult to believe that
NASA
Ūis using MS-DOS with 2 MB of memory and its flaky expanded and
extended
Ūmemory addressing schemes. So my speculation is that Hubble is using
a
Ūversion of OS/2. You can read more at:
Ū
I'd think it's more likely that the NASA programmers "wrote to the
metal" and aren't using an OS in the sense that we mean it at all.
Jack Troughton ICQ:7494149
http://jakesplace.dhs.org
jack.troughton at videotron.ca
jake at jakesplace.dhs.org
Montr‚al PQ Canada
David T. Johnson
>
> On Fri, 24 Dec 1999 14:32:10, "David T. Johnson"
> <djoh...@isomedia.com> wrote:
>
> launch were MS-DOS and OS/2. I find it difficult to believe that
> NASA
> extended
> a
>
>
> metal" and aren't using an OS in the sense that we mean it at all.
>
been much more difficult and expensive to do this and Hubble was built
on a tight budget. (A budget so tight they skipped ground testing that
would have revealed the infamous mirror imperfections.)
Mike Stephen
jack.tr...@nospam.videotron.ca (Jack Troughton) writes:
:>
:>On Fri, 24 Dec 1999 14:32:10, "David T. Johnson"
:><djoh...@isomedia.com> wrote:
:>
:>Ūlaunch were MS-DOS and OS/2. I find it difficult to believe that
:>NASA
:>Ūis using MS-DOS with 2 MB of memory and its flaky expanded and
:>extended
:>Ūmemory addressing schemes. So my speculation is that Hubble is using
:>a
:>Ūversion of OS/2. You can read more at:
:>Ū
:>
:>I'd think it's more likely that the NASA programmers "wrote to the
:>Jack Troughton ICQ:7494149
:>http://jakesplace.dhs.org
:>jack.troughton at videotron.ca
:>jake at jakesplace.dhs.org
:>Montr‚al PQ Canada
I would have to agree with the no operating system... However, I can
assure you that when the Canadians went up in space in the mid 90's,
they went up with thinkpads and OS/2. One of the final Canadian
candidatea for a seat in the shuttle did the initial training of the
Canadian astronauts, and he trained them in OS/2. They may be using
some "other os" now, but in the days before Win NT,95,98, they used
OS/2.
Jim Frost
> About the only x86 OSs available at the time of the Hubble
You're sadly mistaken, there were a variety of UNIXen and realtime OSs
available long before OS/2. The latter would seem to be by far the most
likely type of system since that's what you usually put into something like
that.
jim
Jack Troughton
€In message <JqnCCXS3fWdc-p...@jakesplace.dhs.org> -
€jack.tr...@nospam.videotron.ca (Jack Troughton) writes:
€:>
€:>On Fri, 24 Dec 1999 14:32:10, "David T. Johnson"
€:><djoh...@isomedia.com> wrote:
€:>
€:>Ílaunch were MS-DOS and OS/2. I find it difficult to believe that
€:>NASA
€:>Íis using MS-DOS with 2 MB of memory and its flaky expanded and
€:>extended
€:>Ímemory addressing schemes. So my speculation is that Hubble is
using
€:>a
€:>Íversion of OS/2. You can read more at:
€:>Í
€:>
€:>I'd think it's more likely that the NASA programmers "wrote to the
€:>metal" and aren't using an OS in the sense that we mean it at all.
€:>
€:>Jack Troughton ICQ:7494149
€:>http://jakesplace.dhs.org
€:>jack.troughton at videotron.ca
€:>jake at jakesplace.dhs.org
€:>Montr⁄al PQ Canada
€:>
€
€I would have to agree with the no operating system... However, I can
€assure you that when the Canadians went up in space in the mid 90's,
€they went up with thinkpads and OS/2. One of the final Canadian
€candidatea for a seat in the shuttle did the initial training of the
€Canadian astronauts, and he trained them in OS/2. They may be using
€some "other os" now, but in the days before Win NT,95,98, they used
€OS/2.
I would imagine they still are. NASA is even more conservative than
the financial industry when it comes to software. They have to be;
points of failure will almost inevitably be fatal in the hostile
environment of space.
This is not to say that having a laptop crash is going to cause the
shuttle to detonate or anything like that of course; however, for many
aspects of the computer systems on spacecraft, failure means mission
failure. I have little doubt that the culture of conservatism in
computers extends to the personal systems on the space shuttle. After
all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and all that jazz.
Also, I imagine that if Windows was the system in use on the shuttle
laptops, MS would be all over it in their publicity.
It'd be interesting to find out what they are using.
Jack Troughton ICQ:7494149
http://jakesplace.dhs.org
jack.troughton at videotron.ca
jake at jakesplace.dhs.org
MontrÇal PQ Canada
Jack Troughton
Ū"David T. Johnson" wrote:
Ū> About the only x86 OSs available at the time of the Hubble
Ū> launch were MS-DOS and OS/2. I find it difficult to believe that
NASA
Ū> is using MS-DOS with 2 MB of memory and its flaky expanded and
extended
Ū> memory addressing schemes. So my speculation is that Hubble is
using a
Ū> version of OS/2.
Ū
ŪYou're sadly mistaken, there were a variety of UNIXen and realtime
OSs
Ūavailable long before OS/2. The latter would seem to be by far the
most
Ūlikely type of system since that's what you usually put into
something like
Ūthat.
As I understand it, you can configure OS/2 to be real time. However,
I would agree that it's unlikely that they used OS/2. I would bet
it's QNX, unless the NASA programmers wrote to the metal.
Of course, I'm biased; QNX is developed in Canada just outside of the
city of Ottawa:)
Trancser
>Also, I imagine that if Windows was the system in use on the shuttle
>laptops, MS would be all over it in their publicity.
>
Yea, simular to how gateway was doing with their commercial ads on t.v.
tholenA...@hawaii.edu
> So my speculation is that Hubble is using a version of OS/2.
I don't know of any NASA spacecraft that uses a commercial operating
system like DOS, Windows, or OS/2. The needs are too specialized.
Jim Frost
> They may be using
> Ûsome "other os" now, but in the days before Win NT,95,98, they used
> ÛOS/2.
JPL made a lot of use of UNIX workstations back a decade ago. I know because
they used an imaging program I wrote for X11. You have to remember that for a
lot of what they did your typical PC back then was woefully inadequate in
every respect -- poor video, small amounts of memory, insufficient CPU, poor
I/O throughput. It really wasn't until the Pentium systems went mainstream
that PCs started to get interesting for workhorse systems.
> I would imagine they still are. NASA is even more conservative than
> the financial industry when it comes to software. They have to be;
> points of failure will almost inevitably be fatal in the hostile
> environment of space.
NASA is practical enough to use whatever it takes to get the job done. That
has meant all kinds of different systems.
jim
Jim Frost
> As I understand it, you can configure OS/2 to be real time. However,
> I would agree that it's unlikely that they used OS/2. I would bet
> it's QNX, unless the NASA programmers wrote to the metal.
I believe it's only "soft" realtime. I suppose it could be QNX, but it could
be a variety of other systems too, including homebrew. QNX would have been
pretty young when the Hubble was launched.
jim
David T. Johnson
>
> "David T. Johnson" wrote:
> > About the only x86 OSs available at the time of the Hubble
> > version of OS/2.
>
The use of the 386 microprocessor in Hubble is revealing. It was the
first 32-bit Intel processor. This suggests that the operating system
being used is 32-bit as well. A more conservative choice by NASA would
have been the 16-bit 286 which was much more widely used at the time of
the Hubble launch in April. 1990. As for real-time, I am puzzled by the
suggestions that OS/2 is not a "real-time" operating system. Every time
you click the mouse, you are doing it in "real time." There is no
technical reason that OS/2 cannot be used for control and, in fact, it
has been used for this purpose in other areas. Other, newer "real-time"
operating systems for embedded systems may have advantages over OS/2
such as size and speed but these largely did not exist when Hubble was
designed.
Jim Frost
> As for real-time, I am puzzled by the
> suggestions that OS/2 is not a "real-time" operating system. Every time
> you click the mouse, you are doing it in "real time." There is no
> technical reason that OS/2 cannot be used for control and, in fact, it
> has been used for this purpose in other areas. Other, newer "real-time"
> operating systems for embedded systems may have advantages over OS/2
> such as size and speed but these largely did not exist when Hubble was
> designed.
You can go see the comp.os.realtime FAQ if you want a description of what
"real time" means to OS guys, I won't belabor the point here other than to say
that if your mouse tracking software happens to miss a mouse interrupt you
probably won't even notice and it doesn't really hurt anything. That is not
true of a lot of other applications, including (for instance) space
satellites.
As for whether or not hard realtime OSs existed prior to the Hubble, quite a
few did, including (I'm told) the ever-popular QNX.
jim
Kim Cheung
>You can go see the comp.os.realtime FAQ if you want a description of what
>"real time" means to OS guys, I won't belabor the point here other than to say
>that if your mouse tracking software happens to miss a mouse interrupt you
>probably won't even notice and it doesn't really hurt anything. That is not
>true of a lot of other applications, including (for instance) space
>satellites.
That's is quite correct. On the other hand, OS/2 CAN handle transactions
down to 12 to 15ms interrupt accuracy (and 8ms with special driver) and so it
CAN handle quite a bit of real time stuff.
Of course, you need to be aware what you're using it for - such as avoiding
file system overhead and so forth.
If you need 1-5ms timer interrupt accuracy, you wouldn't be using OS/2 for
that.
Mike Stephen
<ji...@frostbytes.com>Mon, 27 Dec 1999 09:04:30 -0500 writes:
:>
Whoooppps! I was using QNX on an 8088 PC. This would have been about
1986..... We ran a BBS system called Qtach2 on it. It was and still
is a really neat system. Amiga advocates lost a whole bunch when
Gateway scrapped the QNX type system fro a Linux type system. QNX
however was never known in the common circles and was only known to
computer professionals. It makes for a very nice real time computer
system. QNX is found in embedded systems, as well as factory floor
robotic control.
David H. McCoy
>"David T. Johnson" wrote:
>> As for real-time, I am puzzled by the
>> suggestions that OS/2 is not a "real-time" operating system. Every time
>> you click the mouse, you are doing it in "real time." There is no
>> technical reason that OS/2 cannot be used for control and, in fact, it
>> has been used for this purpose in other areas. Other, newer "real-time"
>> operating systems for embedded systems may have advantages over OS/2
>> such as size and speed but these largely did not exist when Hubble was
>> designed.
>
>"real time" means to OS guys, I won't belabor the point here other than to say
>that if your mouse tracking software happens to miss a mouse interrupt you
>probably won't even notice and it doesn't really hurt anything. That is not
>true of a lot of other applications, including (for instance) space
>satellites.
>
>few did, including (I'm told) the ever-popular QNX.
>
>jim
>
Man! This guy thinks the mouse is real-time?!? Sheesh, it is a shame Steven Den
Beste isn't here to correct this guy.
And he thinks that real-time OSs didn't exist before the Hubble?
Sheesh!
--
---------------------------------------
David H. McCoy
dmccoy@EXTRACT_THIS_mnsinc.com
---------------------------------------
Dave Tholen
> Sheesh, it is a shame Steven Den Beste isn't here to correct this guy.
You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
History has shown that that has not always been the case. I do find
it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
suppose happened to him?
Karel Jansens
>
> You can go see the comp.os.realtime FAQ if you want a description of what
> "real time" means to OS guys, I won't belabor the point here other than to say
> that if your mouse tracking software happens to miss a mouse interrupt you
> probably won't even notice and it doesn't really hurt anything. That is not
> true of a lot of other applications, including (for instance) space
> satellites.
>
A www-version can be found here:
http://www.realtime-info.com/encyc/techno/publi/faq/rtfaq.htm
Karel Jansens
jansens_at_attglobal_dot_net
=======================================================
A merry Christmas and a joyful penultimate Millenium
New Year's Eve!
=======================================================
Bennie Nelson
Brad Wardell left.
Joe Malloy
> You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
At least Steven didn't post misinformation as you do -- knowing it's wrong.
> History has shown that that has not always been the case.
Prove it, if you think you can.
> I do find
> it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
> suppose happened to him?
He got fed up with you incessant claptrap?
Gee, Tholen, I thought that "what you think was irrelevant, what you can
prove relevant." But I see you're just another hypocrite.
Joseph
Joe Malloy wrote:
> Tholen tholened:
>
> > You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
>
> At least Steven didn't post misinformation as you do -- knowing it's wrong.
Of course Steven posted misinformation. He admitted doing so as part of his
role as an Windows advocate.
Why did you lie?
Joseph
Qualcomm announced they were seeking a buyer for their Cellular Phone
Business. Qualcomm found a buyer and sold the cell phone business to a
Japanese firm this week. Steven worked for that division.
Bennie Nelson wrote:
> Mr. Den Beste dropped out of this newsgroup around the time that
> Brad Wardell left.
>
> Dave Tholen wrote:
> >
> > David H. McCoy writes (to David T. Johnson):
> >
> > > Sheesh, it is a shame Steven Den Beste isn't here to correct this guy.
> >
> > You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
> > History has shown that that has not always been the case. I do find
Tim Martin
> Steven Den Best dropped out of the newsgroup around the time his employer
> Qualcomm announced they were seeking a buyer for their Cellular Phone
> Business. Qualcomm found a buyer and sold the cell phone business to a
> Japanese firm this week. Steven worked for that division.
How sweet it is.
> Bennie Nelson wrote:
>
> > Mr. Den Beste dropped out of this newsgroup around the time that
> > Brad Wardell left.
>
Neither are missed.
David T. Johnson
>
> "David T. Johnson" wrote:
> > As for real-time, I am puzzled by the
> > suggestions that OS/2 is not a "real-time" operating system. Every time
> > you click the mouse, you are doing it in "real time." There is no
> > technical reason that OS/2 cannot be used for control and, in fact, it
> > has been used for this purpose in other areas. Other, newer "real-time"
> > operating systems for embedded systems may have advantages over OS/2
> > such as size and speed but these largely did not exist when Hubble was
> > designed.
>
> "real time" means to OS guys, I won't belabor the point here other than to say
> that if your mouse tracking software happens to miss a mouse interrupt you
> probably won't even notice and it doesn't really hurt anything. That is not
> true of a lot of other applications, including (for instance) space
> satellites.
All that is required for real-time control is for a task or activity to
be completed at the required time. The time interval is not the key
factor in real-time control. It can be nanoseconds or weeks as long as
the task or activity is completed at the necessary time. While it was
not designed for real-time control, OS/2 could certainly be used for
that purpose. However, there is more to the job performed by Hubble
computers than real-time control.
Now, as I understand the Hubble Space Telescope system, it consists of a
number of primary sophisiticated instruments which operate more or less
simultaneously and independently. Data is gathered from each instrument
and stored on-board before being transmitted to ground tracking
stations. Several redundant communications systems provide 2-way data
links to ground control. The Hubble system contains extensive ancillary
equipment to provide thermal control, positioning, power distribution
and contol, etc. In short, this is a very sophisticated system. I very
much doubt that each one of the three redundant Hubble computer systems
directly controls all on-board activities. More likely to me is that
there are dozens of controllers throughout the entire Hubble system
controlling individual operations on each device and subsystem. The
computer would coordinate all of the onboard activities based on
commands received from ground control and would have to be
multitasking.
>
> As for whether or not hard realtime OSs existed prior to the Hubble, quite a
> few did, including (I'm told) the ever-popular QNX.
I am not aware of a real-time OS that existed in 1989 that was 32-bit
and ran on a 386 that was capable of performing the Hubble mission.
Which one did you have in mind?
>
> jim
Jason Bowen
Tim Martin <OS2...@WarpCity.com> wrote:
>Joseph wrote:
>
>> Steven Den Best dropped out of the newsgroup around the time his employer
>> Qualcomm announced they were seeking a buyer for their Cellular Phone
>> Business. Qualcomm found a buyer and sold the cell phone business to a
>> Japanese firm this week. Steven worked for that division.
>
>How sweet it is.
Well we can all have our conjecture heh? Steven did seem to disappear
about the time that IBM wouldn't let Stardock package a Warp 5 client.
You should remember that, you were spreading your usual lies. I did see
him posting on the Stardock newsgroups.
>
>> Bennie Nelson wrote:
>>
>> > Mr. Den Beste dropped out of this newsgroup around the time that
>> > Brad Wardell left.
>>
>
>Neither are missed.
>
Yes, you like to see one of the major OS/2 isv's disappear, I'm not
suprised.
Joseph
Jason Bowen wrote:
> In article <3868EE0E...@WarpCity.com>,
> Tim Martin <OS2...@WarpCity.com> wrote:
> >Joseph wrote:
> >
> >> Steven Den Best dropped out of the newsgroup around the time his employer
> >> Qualcomm announced they were seeking a buyer for their Cellular Phone
> >> Business. Qualcomm found a buyer and sold the cell phone business to a
> >> Japanese firm this week. Steven worked for that division.
> >
> >How sweet it is.
>
> Well we can all have our conjecture heh? Steven did seem to disappear
> about the time that IBM wouldn't let Stardock package a Warp 5 client.
> You should remember that, you were spreading your usual lies. I did see
> him posting on the Stardock newsgroups.
There is both a Coincidental and a Causal relationship. Qualcomm put the Cell
phone division up for sale and Steven disappeared. That division sold this
week. Anyone working at a division being sold off would be wise to spend extra
time at work - not that Steven's done a thing wrong - just that it is a
disruptive event and requires attention.
> >> > Mr. Den Beste dropped out of this newsgroup around the time that
> >> > Brad Wardell left.
> >>
> >
> >Neither are missed.
> Yes, you like to see one of the major OS/2 isv's disappear, I'm not
> suprised.
Brad Wardell is a person, not an ISV.
leto...@nospam.net
>>You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
>>History has shown that that has not always been the case. I do find
>>it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
>>suppose happened to him?
>>
>He hangs out where I do most of the time now. In a group of where people
>are more rational than most of you.
Are they all like you? I mean do they go around talking about screwing
someones mother when they lose an argument like you do?
_____________
Ed Letourneau <leto...@sover.net>
Dave Tholen
>> David H. McCoy writes (to David T. Johnson):
>>> Sheesh, it is a shame Steven Den Beste isn't here to correct this guy.
>> You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
>> History has shown that that has not always been the case. I do find
>> it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
>> suppose happened to him?
> Mr. Den Beste dropped out of this newsgroup around the time that
> Brad Wardell left.
The last posting by Wardell that I could find was on September 5, and
the last posting by Den Beste that I could find was on September 9.
You don't suppose there is a connection, do you? Of course, Den Beste's
disappearance occurred at about the same time as other events. One
could just as easily draw a connection with those.
David H. McCoy
>David H. McCoy writes (to David T. Johnson):
>
>> Sheesh, it is a shame Steven Den Beste isn't here to correct this guy.
>
>You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
>History has shown that that has not always been the case. I do find
>it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
>suppose happened to him?
>
>
He hangs out where I do most of the time now. In a group of where people are
more rational than most of you.
--
Dave Tholen
>> David H. McCoy writes (to David T. Johnson):
>>> Sheesh, it is a shame Steven Den Beste isn't here to correct this guy.
>> You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
>> History has shown that that has not always been the case. I do find
>> it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
>> suppose happened to him?
> He hangs out where I do most of the time now.
You're hanging out here, and he is not.
> In a group of where people are more rational than most of you.
There certainly are quite a few less rational people haunting this
newsgroup. Just how rational is it for a Windows user to be hanging
out in an OS/2 newsgroup?
tho...@antispam.ham
> Anyone working at a division being sold off would be wise to spend
> extra time at work
Except that Steven didn't disappear from all of USENET. He's remained
quite active. He simply disappeared from this newsgroup, so I wouldn't
conclude that he's simply spending extra time at work. There must be a
different explanation for his disappearance.
Andrew J. Brehm
Have you considered _asking_ him? I did.
--
Fan of Woody Allen
PowerPC User
Supporter of Pepperoni Pizza
Joe Malloy
> >>> Sheesh, it is a shame Steven Den Beste isn't here to correct this guy.
>
> >> You're presupposing that Den Beste would post correct information.
> >> History has shown that that has not always been the case. I do find
> >> it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
> >> suppose happened to him?
>
> > He hangs out where I do most of the time now.
>
> You're hanging out here, and he is not.
Non sequitur from the illogical Tholen.
tho...@antispam.ham
>> Joseph Coughlan writes:
>>> Anyone working at a division being sold off would be wise to spend
>>> extra time at work
>> Except that Steven didn't disappear from all of USENET. He's remained
>> quite active. He simply disappeared from this newsgroup, so I wouldn't
>> conclude that he's simply spending extra time at work. There must be a
>> different explanation for his disappearance.
> Have you considered _asking_ him? I did.
That might encourage him to reappear. Wouldn't want to do that.
Does your "I did" mean that you asked him, or only that you considered
asking him?
Andrew J. Brehm
It means that I considered asking him _and_ did ask him, to be precise.
:-)
tho...@antispam.ham
>>>> Joseph Coughlan writes:
>>>>> Anyone working at a division being sold off would be wise to spend
>>>>> extra time at work
>>>> Except that Steven didn't disappear from all of USENET. He's remained
>>>> quite active. He simply disappeared from this newsgroup, so I wouldn't
>>>> conclude that he's simply spending extra time at work. There must be a
>>>> different explanation for his disappearance.
>>> Have you considered _asking_ him? I did.
>> That might encourage him to reappear. Wouldn't want to do that.
>>
>> Does your "I did" mean that you asked him, or only that you considered
>> asking him?
> It means that I considered asking him _and_ did ask him, to be precise.
> :-)
In a relatively recent instance of someone asking him something, his
reply was that it was his business, and his business it would remain.
You didn't happen to get a similar response, did you?
Joe Malloy
*some* - powers that he does not posess:
> > Have you considered _asking_ him? I did.
>
> That might encourage him to reappear. Wouldn't want to do that.
None of your myriad of opponents would accept anything you say, Tholen, so
you don't have to worry.
Jack Troughton
€Jack Troughton wrote:
€> As I understand it, you can configure OS/2 to be real time.
However,
€> I would agree that it's unlikely that they used OS/2. I would bet
€> it's QNX, unless the NASA programmers wrote to the metal.
€
€I believe it's only "soft" realtime. I suppose it could be QNX, but
it could
€be a variety of other systems too, including homebrew. QNX would
have been
€pretty young when the Hubble was launched.
No doubt; personally I think it most likely they "wrote to the metal".
Just making the plug for some good Canadian software (QNX:).
Jack Troughton ICQ:7494149
http://jakesplace.dhs.org
jack.troughton at videotron.ca
jake at jakesplace.dhs.org
MontrÇal PQ Canada
Marty
>
> Joseph wrote:
>
> > Steven Den Best dropped out of the newsgroup around the time his employer
> > Qualcomm announced they were seeking a buyer for their Cellular Phone
> > Business. Qualcomm found a buyer and sold the cell phone business to a
> > Japanese firm this week. Steven worked for that division.
>
> How sweet it is.
Actually, his job is alive and well.
> > Bennie Nelson wrote:
> >
> > > Mr. Den Beste dropped out of this newsgroup around the time that
> > > Brad Wardell left.
> >
>
> Neither are missed.
And neither are looking back, either.
Marty
>
> Andrew J. Brehm writes:
>
> >> Joseph Coughlan writes:
>
> >>> Anyone working at a division being sold off would be wise to spend
> >>> extra time at work
>
> >> Except that Steven didn't disappear from all of USENET. He's remained
> >> quite active. He simply disappeared from this newsgroup, so I wouldn't
> >> conclude that he's simply spending extra time at work. There must be a
> >> different explanation for his disappearance.
>
>
> That might encourage him to reappear.
Not likely, especially if done through private e-mail.
stan
> Joseph Coughlan writes:
>
> > Anyone working at a division being sold off would be wise to spend
> > extra time at work
>
> Except that Steven didn't disappear from all of USENET. He's remained
> quite active. He simply disappeared from this newsgroup, so I wouldn't
> conclude that he's simply spending extra time at work. There must be a
> different explanation for his disappearance.
>
you'll find him in the stardock ng's, let's hope he stays there.
tho...@ifa.hawaii.edu
1> Not likely, especially if done through private e-mail.
Why do you think I used the word "might", Marty?
BobO
|> I do find
|> it interesting that Den Beste "isn't here", however. What do you
|> suppose happened to him?
|
|He got fed up with you incessant claptrap?
|
|
Gee, Joe. More likely he figured out that his peers were a little
stupider than he was.
Its one thing to argue with an idiot, quite another to be in a gang of
idiots all doing the same stupid vapid thing all day long.