X-Original-To: pgsql-docs-postgresql.org@localhost.postgresql.org Received: from localhost (unknown [200.46.204.144]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6CC753A562B for ; Mon, 24 Jan 2005 20:19:07 +0000 (GMT) Received: from svr1.postgresql.org ([200.46.204.71]) by localhost (av.hub.org [200.46.204.144]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 95198-05 for ; Mon, 24 Jan 2005 20:18:57 +0000 (GMT) Received: from sss.pgh.pa.us (sss.pgh.pa.us [66.207.139.130]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CDE283A55D7 for ; Mon, 24 Jan 2005 20:18:58 +0000 (GMT) Received: from sss2.sss.pgh.pa.us (tgl@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by sss.pgh.pa.us (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id j0OKIv0V024527; Mon, 24 Jan 2005 15:18:57 -0500 (EST) To: Michael Fuhr Cc: Merlin Moncure , pgsql-docs@postgresql.org Subject: Re: allballs In-reply-to: <20050124200645.GA6126@winnie.fuhr.org> References: <6EE64EF3AB31D5448D0007DD34EEB3412A75D9@Herge.rcsinc.local> <20050124200645.GA6126@winnie.fuhr.org> Comments: In-reply-to Michael Fuhr message dated "Mon, 24 Jan 2005 13:06:45 -0700" Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 15:18:56 -0500 Message-ID: <24526.1106597936@sss.pgh.pa.us> From: Tom Lane X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new at hub.org X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.005 tagged_above=0 required=5 tests=AWL X-Spam-Level: X-Archive-Number: 200501/55 X-Sequence-Number: 2814 Michael Fuhr 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