Re: [TCLCORE] TIP 233 inquiry, from long in the past

[Jeff H. <jef...@gm...>]

On May 14, 2025, at 8:32 AM, Andreas Kupries <and...@gm...> wrote:
>> [Adding a cc: to tcl-core so that we don't have to repeat the discussion there.]
> 
>> On Tue, May 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM Andreas Kupries <and...@gm...>
>> wrote:
> 
>> What I recall about the ticket was what I posted on tcl-core a few
>> days ago.
> 
> My apologies for the repeated query, I missed that mail.
> 
>> I understood what virtual time was about - allowing a production
>> script to run in simulated time rather than real time, while
>> continuing to interact with real I/O devices.  (It's also used in
>> some highly secure systems to avoid certain timing-dependent covert
>> channels for data exfiltration.)
> 
>> I never knew the details of the intended application - you and Jeff were
>> under an NDA with the customer, and were not at liberty to disclose them.
> 
> I do not even recall the NDA anymore.
> I wonder if it may have run out after all this time.
> 
> Looped Jeff in now.
> 
>> My name was on the ticket, because I was the maintainer of the time system
>> at the time.  I allowed it in primarily because it had no effect on a build
>> that didn't use it.  The TIP was approved at a time when we were not
>> extremely formal about the process. My reasoning was "it's something an
>> ActiveState customer needs, and can't be done without surgery on the Core -
>> and this particular surgery is relatively minimal, since the functionality
>> is activated only by invoking an unusual API."
>> 
>> I never knew the identity of the customer, and as far as I know, nobody
>> else has ever demanded virtualization of the clock.
> 
> Ok.
> 
> As I said in the meeting itself, I will not object to removing this if
> it stands in the way monotonic.

Did a deep dive on my email and couldn’t find directly what customer/user need this may have been related to. Kevin’s guesses are likely on point, as both were publicly notable ActiveState customers at the time and each had custom code requests. Cisco’s were more exotic, as it was using Tcl embedded in various interesting ways. I don’t know who one would reach out to to see if a change in that area would impact them.

Jeff