Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.6.2.17 $; site sneaky.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!mhuxn!houxm!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!sneaky!gordon
From: gordon@sneaky.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: Csh confusion: #define HZ 100?
Message-ID: <-1180729@sneaky.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Dec-84 03:09:00 EST
Article-I.D.: sneaky.-1180729
Posted: Tue Dec  4 03:09:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Dec-84 01:48:05 EST
References: <124@osu-eddi.UUCP>
Lines: 15
Nf-ID: #R:osu-eddi:-12400:sneaky:-1180729:000:594
Nf-From: sneaky!gordon    Dec  4 02:09:00 1984

One of the reasons for having HZ defined in csh is the "time" command.
It's build into csh, and it doesn't call /bin/time.  Quantities of CPU time
are available in ticks of cpu time, not seconds, and HZ is needed as a
conversion factor.

There is no particular reason why the system clock has to run at the same
speed as the power line frequency.  Any reasonably stable clock of an
appropriate frequency would do, and a HZ value of 100 makes a lot of math
easier for the humans to deal with.


				Gordon Burditt
				...!convex!ctvax!trsvax!sneaky!gordon
				...!microsoft!trsvax!sneaky!gordon